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Inset: Yvonne Hampton (Sumter County Jail). Background: The bus in Sumter County, Florida, that Hampton was driving was struck by a train after she allegedly ignored a railroad crossing signal (WOFL).
A Florida school bus driver is now in custody following a harrowing incident where a train collided with a bus carrying children. The driver, Yvonne Hampton, allegedly disregarded a railroad crossing signal and remarked that she was “not gonna stop” for the oncoming train.
Yvonne Hampton, aged 67, is facing serious charges, including 29 counts of child neglect, culpable negligence, and reckless driving. These charges were brought against her by the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, as reported by local news sources.
The alarming event took place on Thursday afternoon at the junction of East Central Avenue and North Market Street in Bushnell. According to a probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, Hampton was transporting 29 middle school students and another adult at the time. She reportedly claimed that a vehicle in front of the bus was blocking her path, preventing her from moving forward. However, video footage contradicted her account, showing that Hampton had made the conscious decision to cross the tracks after the railroad warning system had been activated, as noted by the deputies.
In the moments leading up to the collision, Hampton can allegedly be heard on the video saying, “Not gonna stop for no train.” The footage also captured the students’ growing panic as the train neared the bus.
“There is a train coming!” one student is heard shouting, followed by screams of fear, according to the police report. The incident has raised serious concerns about safety and the responsibilities of those entrusted with transporting children.
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.