Driver to face charge in I-89 bus crash
Toolbox
By THATCHER MOATS STAFF WRITER - Published: September 29, 2009
BARRE – A bus driver who police say caused a dramatic six-vehicle crash last spring on Interstate 89 will face a criminal charge for alleged negligence, the Vermont State Police announced on Monday.
Deane E. Harrington, 74, of Roxbury, was the man behind the wheel of a Green Mountain Transit Agency bus on May 14 that was carrying about 12 passengers to Montpelier during the morning commute. In Middlesex, the bus plowed into the back of a 2-mile line of traffic that had stopped for road construction in the southbound lane of the highway. The impact wrecked three cars, destroyed a tow-behind camper, heavily damaged the bus and caused minor damage to two other vehicles.
Several people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, including Harrington.
Police announced in July that Harrington was at fault for the crash, and he was ticketed for going too fast for existing conditions and hazards. Investigators found no mechanical problems with the bus.
Police have since consulted with Washington County State's Attorney Tom Kelly, who has decided to charge Harrington with negligent operation of a motor vehicle, a misdemeanor charge that carries a potential penalty of up to a year in prison and $1,000 in fines.
Harrington is scheduled to face the charge in Vermont District Court in Barre on Oct. 20.
Harrington, who drove for GMTA for six years without incident, is suspended without pay and is not driving buses, GMTA Executive Director Chris Cole said on Monday.
Kelly said he filed the charge "because that's what the evidence points to."
Kelly did not want to comment in detail on the case, but said witnesses and the circumstances of the crash point to inattention on Harrington's part, which would support the negligence charge.
State police Trooper Richard Ostrout investigated the case but was not available for comment on Monday.
In an earlier interview, however, Ostrout said that witnesses reported seeing Harrington look to his left just before the crash and then look straight upon impact, which indicated Harrington was not paying close enough attention to the road.
Ostrout also said there was no evidence Harrington did anything grossly negligent such as fall asleep or use a cell phone while driving. An on-board camera showed the interior of the bus, but didn't show Harrington, Ostrout said.
The state statute for negligence that Harrington will be charged under says the standard for a conviction "shall be ordinary negligence, examining whether the person breached a duty to exercise ordinary care."
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