Highway Patrol: Bus driver did not follow protocol

May 20, 2011 at 8:14 a.m. | Updated May 20, 2011 at 8:14 a.m.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol snaps a photo of a North Callaway school bus the day it was involved in a fatal accident. The investigation into the bus accident in January has concluded. According to the report released by the Highway Patrol, the driver of the bus did not wait an adequate amount of time for the student to pass safely in front of the bus.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol snaps a photo of a North Callaway school bus the day it was involved in a fatal accident. The investigation into the bus accident in January has concluded. According to the report released by the Highway Patrol, the driver of the bus did not wait an adequate amount of time for the student to pass safely in front of the bus.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol's investigation into a school bus accident that left a North Callaway student dead in January concluded the bus driver didn't wait long enough for the student to get out of the path of the bus before driving forward.

The report stated, "This crash occurred because Driver No. 1 (Willie R. Leonberger, 77, of Auxvasse) failed to account for both students he unloaded. (Leonberger) then failed to follow the proper protocol when such an incident occurs. Because of this, Vehicle No. 1 traveled forward before Pedestrian No. 1 (Hunter Pitt, 6, of Williamsburg) had successfully crossed the roadway. As a result, (Pitt) was struck by Vehicle No. 1."

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