Video shows Lodi school bus dangerously close to freight train
Lodi Unified School District investigates close call
Lodi Unified School District investigates close call
Lodi Unified School District investigates close call
The Lodi Unified School District said it is investigating after a post on social media shows a school bus come dangerously close to getting hit by a freight train.
The bus was at a railroad crossing on Lodi Avenue around 8 a.m. Monday when the crossing arm came down on top of the bus.
Video shared by Justin Clubb shows the freight train speed by, inches away from the school bus. He recorded the cell phone video just minutes after dropping off his daughter at school.
“They were way over the line at first. And then, the sign started flashing and they went to pull forward and I was like, ‘Oh, wow.’ And I pulled out my phone real quick,” Clubb said. “Then the sign started dropping on top and they backed up, but they didn’t even try and really actually back up out of the way.”
Clubb was initially driving behind the bus and then merged into the lane next to it as they approached the railroad crossing.
“When I pulled up, the driver had the door open, was looking both ways and then shut his doors and went to go forward," Clubb said. "(I) saw the situation and reversed out of the way and then the train came by.”
Clubb was worried the train was going to hit the bus and him, so he reversed his pickup truck to stay out of the way. He said as the bus tried to back up, the railroad crossing arms came down on top of it.
“I’m just thankful to be home with my kids,” Clubb said.
School district officials said one student and the school bus driver were on the bus at the time. No one was injured during the incident.
“We cannot comment on personnel matters and it’s still an investigation,” said Chelsea Vongehr, spokesperson for the Lodi Unified School District.
Vongehr said the school bus driver is a school district employee. She also said district bus drivers renew their licenses every five years. She said part of testing for renewals is knowing the California vehicle code requiring school bus drivers stop at least 15 feet from the tracks, listening and looking in both directions and only continuing on once it is safe.
Clubb hopes this incident is a wake-up call for the bus driver to review safety protocols.
“Any parent in this town is going to be concerned," Clubb said. "That’s why this video went so viral like it did. Because any parent wants to know what’s going on with their kids, who’s driving their kids to school and they want to have the comfort of having that safety."