DC Bus Driver Allegedly Had A Blood Alcohol Level Twice Legal Limit, Involved In Traffic Incident That Injured 9 Children

Now, this is just ridiculous. Washington, D.C. bus driver Troy Reynolds has been arrested after authorities say he drove the bus while intoxicated.

The 48-year-old of Maryland was driving back to Murch Elementary School following a field trip to Cox Farms in Centreville, Va., with a bus full of 44 children and four adults when he went off the road and into a ditch, Fairfax County Police Department reported.

The bus struck a rock and caused the rear tire to flat and the rim to bend. Reynolds continued to drive the bus, but the adults on the bus urged him to pull over and stop in a parking lot with another bus from the same school, police added.

Officers from the Sully District Station and Fairfax County Fire and Rescue arrived on the scene and treated nine children for non-life-threatening injuries, PEOPLE reported.

Reynolds failed a field sobriety test and was taken to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. He is accused of having a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .20, which is more than double Virginia’s legal limit of .08.

He was held with no bond and charged Thursday with a second-degree DWI with a child aged 5-10, commercial DWI with child endangerment, and nine counts of gross, wanton, or reckless care for a child.

Reynolds’ license was allegedly revoked in Virginia due to a prior DWI and suspended in Maryland. He is also accused of having a fraudulent medical card.

Apparently, FCPD’s Motor Carrier Safety (MCS) unit was also called to the scene and found that neither of the bus drivers was properly licensed to operate a school bus. MCS documented 18 safety violations on the two buses, and a third bus was called in to replace the damaged bus. It was also taken out of service for safety violations.

DC Public Schools Chancellor Lewis Ferebee shared a statement Thursday on Twitter: “We thank the Murch Elementary teachers and staff who ensure the students’ safety on their field trip. All children were evaluated by emergency medical services following the incident and there are no injuries reported.

“We appreciate the support of Fairfax County law enforcement, who welcomed students at a nearby training facility as they awaited transportation back to the school. DCPS takes this incident very seriously, and our teams will do a thorough review of our transportation vendors to ensure that student safety is always prioritized. We are incredibly thankful that no one sustained injuries during this frightening incident,” Ferebee added.