A report released last week by the National Transportation Safety Board sheds new light on the circumstances surrounding the Nov. 21, 2016, Woodmore Elementary School bus crash that killed six children and injured dozens more.
The federal agency found 10 complaints were made against the driver, Johnthony Walker, 25, in the months leading up to the crash, according to the report filed April 30. Parents and school officials claimed Walker was speeding or driving erratically on multiple occasions between Aug. 11, 2016, and Nov. 18, 2016.
Investigators noted that Durham School Services was unaware of some of the complaints made concerning Walker.
“[Durham] did not have a systemic [sic] method for receiving, tracking, or investigating complaints against drivers. Consequently, the carrier was unaware of many of the complaints; many of the complaints were not documented in the driver’s personnel file,” the report states.
Durham implemented an interim driver monitoring program in Hamilton County the month after the crash, saying the new program would collect information in a central database to ensure complaints are addressed. Company officials also described to authorities a long-term plan to use another system that would allow complainants to provide greater detail about specific incidents.