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 bus driver is behind bars after a train hit a bus full of kids when she allegedly ignored a railroad crossing signal, saying she was "not gonna stop" to let the train pass.
Yvonne Hampton, 67, faces 29 counts of child neglect, culpable negligence, and reckless driving, according to the Sumter County Sheriff's Office.
The incident occurred Thursday afternoon at the intersection of East Central Avenue and North Market Street in Bushnell. A probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by Law&Crime said Hampton, who was transporting 29 middle school students and another adult, claimed that a car ahead of the bus was preventing her from fully moving forward. But video evidence "showed it was clear the defendant made the decision to cross the railroad tracks after she saw the railroad warning system activate," deputies wrote.
As she was crossing the tracks, Hampton could allegedly be heard saying "Not gonna stop for no train." Video also captured the panic in the students' voices as the train approached.
"There is a train coming!" a student is heard yelling, followed by the sounds of screaming, cops wrote.
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.
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