Bolivar County - April 1, 2011RANKIN COUNTY, MS (Mississippi News Now) -
Mississippi Highway Patrol officials said Monday the fatal school bus crash in Bolivar County on Friday was being investigated.
Six students remained in the hospital.
Taliyah McRoy, 10, was killed when an 18 wheeler hit a school bus transporting McEvans Elementary students.
The bus had stopped at a stop sign at the intersection of Highway 61 and Highway 450 in the Shaw community when it pulled out in front of the truck Friday morning.
Fog may have contributed to the crash.
The bus accident in north Mississippi only emphasizes the need for extreme safety.
Ray Mann is the Director of Transportation for Rankin County, the third largest school system in the state.
There are 285 buses in Rankin County's fleet.
Each of their 375 drivers have to undergo rigorous testing before being certified.
"You need to reiterate to drivers, to transportation directors you have at the schools that we don't get slack on anything," Mann said. "We have got to make sure we're at the top of our game because it is very important that we transport students to and from school safely."
Also twice a day, drivers are required to perform a 52 point inspection on the large buses before students board the bus.
Mann often gets on the radio with transportation heads at school to give them a pep talk and remind them to be safe.
©2011 WLBT. All rights reserved.
WLBT 3 - Fox 40
