WTF?!? 'Not gonna stop for no train': Bus driver charged after train clips bus full of kids when she ignored railroad crossing signal, cops say

[smokin]

MSN

Story by David Harris

A Florida bus driver is behind bars after a train hit a bus full of kids when she allegedly ignored a railroad crossing signal, saying she was "not gonna stop" to let the train pass.

Yvonne Hampton, 67, faces 29 counts of child neglect, culpable negligence, and reckless driving, according to the Sumter County Sheriff's Office.
The incident occurred Thursday afternoon at the intersection of East Central Avenue and North Market Street in Bushnell. A probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by Law&Crime said Hampton, who was transporting 29 middle school students and another adult, claimed that a car ahead of the bus was preventing her from fully moving forward. But video evidence "showed it was clear the defendant made the decision to cross the railroad tracks after she saw the railroad warning system activate," deputies wrote.
As she was crossing the tracks, Hampton could allegedly be heard saying "Not gonna stop for no train." Video also captured the panic in the students' voices as the train approached.

"There is a train coming!" a student is heard yelling, followed by the sounds of screaming, cops wrote.
Hampton ordered the kids to sit down and the train swiped the back of the bus.

No injuries were reported. But Sumter County School District Superintendent Logan Brown said the incident could have turned into a tragedy.

"When you really understand how close this was, it's sobering," he said in a video message posted online. "A matter of 6 inches is the difference in all of this, and it could have been an extremely catastrophic situation."

The district fired Hampton, who had been a bus driver for over a decade, after the incident.
"This was her final route," he said.

Local Fox affiliate WOFL spoke with some of the students who were on the bus.

"I closed my eyes as hard as I could before that, and I'm thankful that nothing really bad happened, but it could've been way worse," Isabelle Sinibaldi told the TV station. "I was crying because I was scared. I was glad that I wasn't dead. But I was also crying because I couldn't move."
Said Catherine Pharis: "I was in shock. I was scared because all I could feel was the bus move to the side."

Hampton is currently in the Sumter County Jail without bond.

 

[Blacknarwhal]

Trains are blameless, holy creatures.

 

[Countrymouse]

Here's a pic:



Maybe she's just too OLD to be a bus driver anymore.

 

[KFhunter]

Incredibly, I’ve seen worse from bus drivers.

 

[Peachy]

Maybe she's just too OLD to be a bus driver anymore.

The article referred to her as age 67. I don't think it's an age issue–more of a mental issue IMHO.
It's a miracle none of the kids were physically hurt. That trauma will stay with them a very long time.

 

[Jake Grey]

I remember being a senior in high school and having bus drivers younger than me driving the activity buses to band competitions, football, and baseball games. Now many high school kids won't even get their driver's license.

 

[summerthyme]

Here's a pic:

View attachment 596530

Maybe she's just too OLD to be a bus driver anymore.

Bwahahaha! I know bus drivers who are in their late 80s. But they aren't stupid like this moron.

Summerthyme

 

[Cardinal]

Bwahahaha! I know bus drivers who are in their late 80s. But they aren't stupid like this moron.

Summerthyme

I'm gonna go with mental decline on this one.

 

[sssarawolf]

I going with really, really stupid and shouldn't have been allowed to drive a school bus.

 

[Firebird]

I'm gonna go with mental decline on this one.

There's been an awful lot of "mental decline" since covid, I see it every day

 

[fi103r]

Here's a pic:

View attachment 596530

Maybe she's just too OLD to be a bus driver anymore.

too stupid to drive that could have been 30 counts of capital murder

 

[Cardinal]

There's been an awful lot of "mental decline" since covid, I see it every day

That's what I was thinking. She may have been forced to get jabbed to keep her job.

 

[CTFIREBATTCHIEF]

too stupid to drive that could have been 30 counts of capital murder

I'll second that about the 30 counts of some kind of murder for what she did. As many of you know I've done my share of driving those "yellow perils" for many a year off and on. I hated railroad crossings with a passion. Enough that I would go out of my way to avoid a level crossing if I could, or to pick a level crossing that had good sight lines. My bus would be far enough back from the crossing and the emergency brake would be engaged so that no one could even think of pushing me over until I was ready. For her to say what she said, if that can be proven. should be a life sentence without possibility of parole. I can't even begin to imagine what was going through the minds of those kids OR the mind of the locomotive engineer who was coming up on this.

There is video of this, all I can say is HOLY CRAP!!

Video shows the bus straddling the single track, with a car stopped in front of it at an intersection. Not sure if the intersection is signaled or not. Bus is trying to inch up behind car when it was grazed. The driver violated two rules. First was the flashing lights, if in fact the lights were going off and she decided to cross anyway. The other contributing factor was the lack of a clear space in front of the crossing for the bus to go into. You never cross tracks unless the way ahead is clear enough for your bus times 2. 40 foot bus, you need 80 feet clear space, period! You wait on the other side of those tracks for however long it takes for that space to clear before you move. Had she done that, this would not have happened.

 

[Josie]

Here's a pic:

View attachment 596530

Maybe she's just too OLD to be a bus driver anymore.

Not too old...just too stupid and reckless. Praise be to Heaven that those kids are still able to walk this planet.

One of the best bus drivers my kids ever had was when they were in kindergarten. Miss Mary drove the "turtle" bus and adopted every one of those kids as her own. She would stop the bus in the middle of the street with lights flashing and stop sign out. If anyone tried to pass that bus, they would be in the ditch (country road) and the consequences would be theirs. She had little gifts for things like Christmas and Easter and always made sure the kiddos were out of harms way before she even thought of waving goodbye and moving on down the road. And woe to the child that tried to bully one of her babies. Mama bear came out and that child's parent got a phone call when she got back to the garage!

 

[ssbn642blue]

Not too old...just too stupid and reckless. Praise be to Heaven that those kids are still able to walk this planet.

One of the best bus drivers my kids ever had was when they were in kindergarten. Miss Mary drove the "turtle" bus and adopted every one of those kids as her own. She would stop the bus in the middle of the street with lights flashing and stop sign out. If anyone tried to pass that bus, they would be in the ditch (country road) and the consequences would be theirs. She had little gifts for things like Christmas and Easter and always made sure the kiddos were out of harms way before she even thought of waving goodbye and moving on down the road. And woe to the child that tried to bully one of her babies. Mama bear came out and that child's parent got a phone call when she got back to the garage!

Sigh. I want those days again.

 

[Profit of Doom]

I'm gonna go with mental decline on this one.

Few years ago, I would ask if she were vaxxed.

 

[33dInd]

There's been an awful lot of "mental decline" since covid, I see it every day

Nation wide I might add

 

[energy_wave]

Maybe she just wanted to get home in time to watch the soap operas.

 

[Profit of Doom]

Nation wide I might add

We used to see a lot of “medical emergencies” involving vehicles. Wonder what caused those?

 

[oops]

From the high school to the football field (local h.s.) is one of the most dangerous rr crossings in the state…no…n I mean NO legal way to stop for the intersection n crossin n follow the law..cars can’t even stop at the stop sign n cross the tracks n go through the intersection legally…you WILL be on the tracks even with a car…soooooo…they all stop at the tracks…check traffic n high tail it through the intersection…thx b there’s never been an accident there…but then…no stupid drivers either…

 

[Profit of Doom]

From the high school to the football field (local h.s.) is one of the most dangerous rr crossings in the state…no…n I mean NO legal way to stop for the intersection n crossin n follow the law..cars can’t even stop at the stop sign n cross the tracks n go through the intersection legally…you WILL be on the tracks even with a car…soooooo…they all stop at the tracks…check traffic n high tail it through the intersection…thx b there’s never been an accident there…but then…no stupid drivers either…

A Darwin crossing…..

 

[KFhunter]

Bwahahaha! I know bus drivers who are in their late 80s. But they aren't stupid like this moron.

Summerthyme

Ya, it’s def a case by case basis regardless of age

 

[Griz3752]

Wife & I saw the vid clip last night on local CBS but the quote was absent. Was the driver a school employee of hired by a Transport contractor?

Either way I bet the screening/interview process gets a bit of a tweak.

 

[Milkweed Host]

Nothing will change, until school districts pay a decent wage for school bus drivers.

As it is, school districts end up with mostly older retired people for bus drivers.
Locally, bus drivers are paid for two hours in the morning and 2.5 hours for afternoons routes.
That means, early morning, then return in the afternoon. Lots of extra miles on personal vehicle.

The safety of our school children will ONLY improve with better pay to draw from a better quality
bus driver and for each bus to be assigned with a monitor. Few people can afford to live on
the salary of a part-time bus driver.

In Iowa the path to becoming a school bus driver has become very difficult, so fewer bus drivers.
School districts are buying larger and larger buses, combining routes, with longer riding times.
Some kids are riding these buses for very long periods of time. They get bored very quickly.

Bus drivers are expected to watch for road hazards, deer, junk and other vehicles in the roadway.
Sometimes vehicles stopped in the travelled portion????? During fall harvest, farmers will completely
block the roadway, but ditch to ditch, with their machinery. They park on the road with their
semi's, combines while unloading.

Bus drivers have at least seven mirrors to keep an eye on, along with all the kids,
sometimes up to around 83 kids onboard.
They check for the next stop and see if that child is on for the afternoon stop.

there is lots to do and for an older person, it's tough.

Most school districts just close their eyes on the school bus portion of it.
They pour tons of money into newer buildings, hoping for a better outcome.

Safety is not on the front burner. Locally, the schools focus is on a student's feelings being hurt, then doing
nothing, just talk and more talk. they will also reprimand a bus driver for writing up a student for bad
behavior.

Anyway, something needs to be done, but everything requires more tax money. \
So, here we are again..............

 

[DFENZ]

If I ever found myself in a situation where I was unable to pull far enough off the tracks from an oncoming train and the only thing stopping me was a car, that car would have some rear-end damage. Bus or no bus.

 

[danielboon]

The spiritual warfare is out of control. People have lost it blowing through red lights not stopping for people in the crosswalk ect... Jesus is coming back soon are you ready?

 

[Knighttemplar]

Florida woman strikes again, well at least it wasn't them again.

 

[Griz3752]

Not too old...just too stupid and reckless. Praise be to Heaven that those kids are still able to walk this planet.

Yeah with you there. 1st thought that came to mind when I saw the original post was I wonder how many child caaskets this is going to require?

Thankfully, none!!

 

[Roscoe's Daddy]

Probably at the end of her rope. Excuses & consequences to follow. Glad no injuries were incurred.

 

[Macgyver]

Most school bus drivers are old. Who else can work 2 2-3 hour shifts in one day?

High school was the only time I had a driver that was of a younger age. Somehow she did the morning run, worked at the DMV then did the afternoon run.

Not many other jobs out there for the middle of a day to make up the middle part of a work day.

 

[Countrymouse]

Here is video from INSIDE the train--filmed by the kids--

The news station did not play the full audio but I saw it on a Facebook short, where one child is screaming at the driver:

WHAT THE F*** IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?

1 min 39 secs

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1r71XV0fmFo

 

[Countrymouse]

Probably at the end of her rope. Excuses & consequences to follow. Glad no injuries were incurred.

If I had been the mother of one of those kids--

She'd have been better off at the end of a rope than what she'd look like after I got through with her.

 

[Countrymouse]

If you are on Facebook, here is the uncensored (NSFW) version--the kids are screaming at the bus driver and crying hysterically:

26 secs

8.3K views · 14 reactions | 67-year-old Florida school bus driver, Yvonne Hampton, carrying 29 students was arrested on April 7, 2026, facing 29 felony charges of child neglect #explorepage #bus #florida | Reel GeniusTv

67-year-old Florida school bus driver, Yvonne Hampton, carrying 29 students was arrested on April 7, 2026, facing 29 felony charges of child neglect #explorepage #bus #florida

www.facebook.com

 

[Countrymouse]

FOX 26 Houston on Instagram: "A former Sumter County bus driver -- accused of 29 counts of child neglect after driving through a railroad crossing with an oncoming train -- was released on a $30,000 bond. What we know from the investigation: Court

3,249 likes, 149 comments - fox26houston on April 8, 2026: "A former Sumter County bus driver -- accused of 29 counts of child neglect after driving through a railroad crossing with an oncoming train -- was released on a $30,000 bond. What we know from the investigation: Court documents...

www.instagram.com

This instagram video short again shows the bus corner being clipped by the train, and the woman driver being picked up by her husband after her release from jail. He seems to have a bit of a temper--thrusts his umbrella at one reporter and ends up breaking the umbrella.

Sorry - no time given on the video, but I would estimate less than 30 seconds.

Article accompanying video:


fox26houston•
Follow


A former Sumter County bus driver -- accused of 29 counts of child neglect after driving through a railroad crossing with an oncoming train -- was released on a $30,000 bond.

What we know from the investigation:

Court documents reveal the driver allegedly told investigators she was "distracted by the students" and "did not see the train" before the collision.
Video from the scene showed the bus sustained heavy damage to the rear end after the impact.
Thankfully, no students were killed, but the incident has sparked major concerns regarding student transportation safety.

The driver has since been fired from the school district.

 

[Milkweed Host]

There is jail and possibly prison time in this fired school bus driver's future.

A few years ago, an Iowa school bus driver was driving drunk (PBT prior to arrest that was north of 0.200)
He served about 18 months of his prison sentence.
Prior to driving his route, he stayed away from other drivers and used extremely heavy cologne.
Everyone thought he was strange, but apparently, just drunk all the time.

 

[Southside]

If I ever found myself in a situation where I was unable to pull far enough off the tracks from an oncoming train and the only thing stopping me was a car, that car would have some rear-end damage. Bus or no bus.

Push them into next week if I had to.

 

[Countrymouse]

If I ever found myself in a situation where I was unable to pull far enough off the tracks from an oncoming train and the only thing stopping me was a car, that car would have some rear-end damage. Bus or no bus.

She wasn't blocked---she saw the warning lights go off and instead of waiting on her OWN side of the tracks, muttered "I ain't waiting on no train" and started across anyway.

 

[oops]

Wonder what the kids behavior is like…when hubby got on…he was youngest driver in the fleet…bid n got the only main road run in our district…because…the kids were THAT bad…first few months…he literally came in from the runs…sat down n vibrate from dealin with the lil darlings…at the time…he was a very VERY calm controlled person…even had a few folks tell me that it was beyond eerie havin that bus go past their house n not hear it comin minutes before it past their house…principal said after one particular run in with a student…”heaven help whoever makes him break…just glad it won’t be me”…almost sounds like the kids won n she broke…

 

[marsofold]

A just punishment for recklessly risking the lives of so many innocent young kids would be to just nail her spread arms and legs to an open doorway, whip her right to the edge of death, and confiscate all of her possessions, house, car, pension, social security, and every single penny that she owns. Then immediately drop her off in the middle of the everglades swamp in Florida, where she is likely to be eaten by alligators.

 

[Countrymouse]

Wonder what the kids behavior is like…when hubby got on…he was youngest driver in the fleet…bid n got the only main road run in our district…because…the kids were THAT bad…first few months…he literally came in from the runs…sat down n vibrate from dealin with the lil darlings…at the time…he was a very VERY calm controlled person…even had a few folks tell me that it was beyond eerie havin that bus go past their house n not hear it comin minutes before it past their house…principal said after one particular run in with a student…”heaven help whoever makes him break…just glad it won’t be me”…almost sounds like the kids won n she broke…

WTH?

"the kids won"???

SHE RAN A RAILROAD CROSSING WITH THE WARNING LIGHTS ALREADY ON AND THE BELLS RINGING!

There is NO excuse for that! ABSOLUTELY NONE!