Bus did not stop at train crossing before crash, NTSB says

March 30, 2000
Web posted at: 11:39 p.m. EST (0439 GMT)

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee (CNN) -- Investigators on Thursday said a school bus did not stop at an unguarded railroad track crossing at the Tennessee-Georgia border before it was struck by a train Tuesday, killing three schoolchildren.

"We've come to the preliminary conclusion that the bus did not stop at the crossing prior to entering it," NTSB investigator Ken Suydam told reporters.

Suydam said that information came from witnesses, a review of a videotape on the bus and evidence found at the scene.

Suydam said the tape also showed that a radio was playing on the bus and several conversations could be heard.

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Investigators at the crash site conducted sight tests for both the train and the bus to determine how well they could see each other.

Three children were killed in the crash near Tennga, Georgia. Four other students and the bus driver were injured. One of the injured students is the child of the driver.

Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes has said he plans to review state laws governing stoplights and gates at railroad crossings.

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