Leander ISD bus rollover crash: District making seatbelt policy changes

LEANDER, Texas – Leander ISD is making changes to its seatbelt policies following a rollover crash involving one of its buses earlier this month.

What we know:

On August 13th—the first day of school—a bus carrying students from Bagdad Elementary overturned near Nameless Road and Palomino Ranch Drive.

46 children were on board.

In a letter later sent to families and staff of Bagdad Elementary, the principal and transportation director says the driver, Tim Gall, was cited for failure to maintain a lane and improper seatbelt use.

Officials say Gall showed no signs of impairment.

Investigators did find that there was limited seat belt use among students and that the driver was not wearing their seat belt properly.

While state law doesn’t require districts to enforce seatbelt use, Leander ISD is now directing drivers to check that students are buckled before leaving.

The district says all route and special education buses are already equipped with seatbelts. It has an additional 44 field trip and substitute buses with seatbelts. Older buses without them are only used if every other bus is being used.

The letter added that they remain committed to reviewing safety practices and strengthening reminders about buckling up.

Everyone involved in the crash has since been released from the hospital.

The district is also reminding parents to talk with their children about the importance of buckling up.

What they’re saying:

“I’m glad more people didn’t get hurt than what happened,” said Homer Wilson who lives in the area.

“I think it was always a little strange that we didn’t have them, I guess people figure there’s a lot of people on the bus. It’s a lot to manage but yeah it’s a vehicle they should be wearing seatbelts,” said parent Steven Gotcher.

Gotcher lives in the neighborhood and says he may send his twins to Bagdad Elementary when they’re old enough.

“It’ll become a norm over time. Parents will get involved too. They’ll say hey remember when you get on the school bus, remember to buckle your seatbelts. It’ll probably be awkward for a year or two but people will get used to the new norm,” said Gotcher.

Others in the community feel the same.  

“Just from a safety point of view I think you should be able to get up and at least check on what’s going on with your passengers especially when they are children. An extra precaution at least announce hey you guys have to get buckled up,” said Wilson.