• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
MENUMENU
MENUMENU
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • FlaglerLive Board of Directors
    • Comment Policy
    • Mission Statement
    • Our Values
  • Live Calendar
  • Submit Obituary
  • Submit an Event
  • Support FlaglerLive
  • Advertise on FlaglerLive (386) 503-3808
  • Search Results

FlaglerLive

No Bull, no Fluff, No Smudges

MENUMENU
  • Flagler
    • Flagler County Commission
    • Beverly Beach
    • Economic Development Council
    • Flagler History
    • Mondex/Daytona North
    • The Hammock
    • Tourist Development Council
  • Palm Coast
    • Palm Coast City Council
    • Palm Coast Crime
  • Bunnell
    • Bunnell City Commission
    • Bunnell Crime
  • Flagler Beach
    • Flagler Beach City Commission
    • Flagler Beach Crime
  • Cops/Courts
    • Circuit & County Court
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • Federal Courts
    • Flagler 911
    • Fire House
    • Flagler County Sheriff
    • Flagler Jail Bookings
    • Traffic Accidents
  • Rights & Liberties
    • Fourth Amendment
    • First Amendment
    • Privacy
    • Second Amendment
    • Seventh Amendment
    • Sixth Amendment
    • Sunshine Law
    • Third Amendment
    • Religion & Beliefs
    • Human Rights
    • Immigration
    • Labor Rights
    • 14th Amendment
    • Civil Rights
  • Schools
    • Adult Education
    • Belle Terre Elementary
    • Buddy Taylor Middle
    • Bunnell Elementary
    • Charter Schools
    • Daytona State College
    • Flagler County School Board
    • Flagler Palm Coast High School
    • Higher Education
    • Imagine School
    • Indian Trails Middle
    • Matanzas High School
    • Old Kings Elementary
    • Rymfire Elementary
    • Stetson University
    • Wadsworth Elementary
    • University of Florida/Florida State
  • Economy
    • Jobs & Unemployment
    • Business & Economy
    • Development & Sprawl
    • Leisure & Tourism
    • Local Business
    • Local Media
    • Real Estate & Development
    • Taxes
  • Commentary
    • The Conversation
    • Pierre Tristam
    • Diane Roberts
    • Guest Columns
    • Byblos
    • Editor's Blog
  • Culture
    • African American Cultural Society
    • Arts in Palm Coast & Flagler
    • Books
    • City Repertory Theatre
    • Flagler Auditorium
    • Flagler Playhouse
    • Flagler Youth Orchestra
    • Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra
    • Palm Coast Arts Foundation
    • Special Events
  • Elections 2022
    • Amendments and Referendums
    • Presidential Election
    • Campaign Finance
    • City Elections
    • Congressional
    • Constitutionals
    • Courts
    • Governor
    • Polls
    • Voting Rights
  • Florida
    • Federal Politics
    • Florida History
    • Florida Legislature
    • Florida Legislature
    • Ron DeSantis
  • Health & Society
    • Flagler County Health Department
    • Ask the Doctor Column
    • Health Care
    • Health Care Business
    • Covid-19
    • Children and Families
    • Medicaid and Medicare
    • Mental Health
    • Poverty
    • Violence
  • All Else
    • Daily Briefing
    • Americana
    • Obituaries
    • News Briefs
    • Weather and Climate
    • Wildlife

School Bus Driver Cited For Carelessness in Crash After “Clearly” Violating Right-Of-Way

April 27, 2017 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

crash site rymfire royal palms palm coast
The scene of the crash Monday morning. (© FlaglerLive)

An investigation found Wilrick A. Woods, the 60-year-old driver at the wheel of a school bus that crashed into an SUV Monday morning, at fault for the crash, which caused severe injuries to a woman and lesser injuries to two children and to Woods himself.

  • grand living realty

It was one of the rare crashes involving school buses this year, but the most severe since a 22-year-old woman was killed in a crash with a school bus on Ravenwood Drive in January 2015. Neither the school bus driver nor the woman were at fault in that crash. The man who rear-ended the woman’s car, fatally catapulting her into the path of the bus, was initially cited for careless driving, but all charges against him were later dismissed.

The investigation was carried out by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. Woods was cited for careless driving and issued a citation and fine of $166. The crash, however, caused several injuries and $10,000 in damages, according to police reports.

Woods is currently on administrative leave pending the conclusion of the school district’s investigation. Woods has been driving for the district for six years. “Other than a paperwork error on DOTs end,” a district spokesman said, referring to the Department of Transportation, “he has had a clean driving record for the six years he has been employed with us.”

Woods was driving an 84-passenger, 2007 Bluebird bus that costs $144,000 new, going east on Royal Palms Parkway at 6:30 Monday morning, before sunup. He had just picked up a 15-year-old Buddy Taylor Middle School student, who was the lone passenger on the bus. Woods had gone into the turning lane to make a left onto Rymfire Drive.

Kimberly A. Pinnock, 31, a resident of Palm Coast’s R-Section, was driving a Dodge Durango west on Royal Palms. She had two passengers: children, ages 10 and 6.

Woods told the investigator that another bus had been stopped in the westbound right turn lane on Royal Palms, and that he did not see Pinnock’s car coming his way because of that,

A witness was stopped at the stop sign on Rymfire, waiting to make a right onto Royal Palms, and told the investigator that the school bus “turned left into the path” of Pinnock, who had “no time to react.” The Durango struck the school bus almost head-on. The fronts of both vehicles were severely damaged. Pinnock was pinned in the car and had to be extracted by rescuers. She suffered “several long bone fractures,” according to the sheriff’s office’s crash report. She was taken to Halifax hospital in Daytona Beach. The two children in the car were taken to Florida Hospital Flagler, as was Woods. The student aboard the bus was not injured, and was in class at Buddy Taylor later that morning.

The two witnesses in the bus stopped in the westbound lane of Royal Palms told the investigator that they did not see the crash but heard it. The driver had been focused on the car on Rymfire at the stop sign, because the car was preventing the bus driver from making that turn.

School buses are equipped with video surveillance. The investigating deputy–Scott Vedder–reviewed the footage, which was “ppr” because of the low light, but he was able to observe Pinnock’s Durango approaching the intersection in three of the four camera views, her headlights activated, which would have made it difficult for drivers in the opposite direction to miss. Woods, the report concludes, “clearly violates the right of way of” Pinnock, who “did not appear to be traveling at a rate of speed higher than allowed.”

Vedder notes that “video was not released by School Board due to the faces of juveniles visible and they do not have the capability to edit.” In fact, the school district is required to release the footage upon request: the inability to edit–difficult to grasp in a district that prides itself on technology and boasts of multi-million dollar equipment–may not be used as a pretext to suppress a public record. The district has been having difficulties complying with the state’s public record law recently.

The Sheriff’s Office’s Crash Report Diagram (Not to Scale):

crash report diagram rymfire
Click on the image for larger view.
Print Friendly, PDF & Email
You and your neighbors collectively read our articles about 25,000 times each day (that's not a typo) with up to 65,000 daily reads during emergencies like hurricanes. Flagler County residents rely on FlaglerLive for essential, bold and analytical journalism that cannot be found anywhere else. But we depend on your support. Please join our December fund drive! If you donate the cost of a scoop of ice cream, you will be helping us continue to provide comprehensive local news and honest, serious journalism for our community. If you can donate more or become a monthly donor, even better. Donations are tax deductible since FlaglerLive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit news organization. Donate by clicking anywhere in this box. Think of it as buying a scoop, in every sense of the term!  
All donors' identities are kept confidential and anonymous.
   

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lazaruis says

    April 27, 2017 at 6:07 pm

    Thanks for this follow up story

    Reply
  2. Komodo Dragon says

    April 27, 2017 at 7:35 pm

    Nothing new, they drive like bandits and change lanes abruptly nearly causing accidents. Speeding is another problem with school buses. On Belle Terre, I’m doing 50 on a 45mph zone and they zip right by me at way more than 10mph over 45 speed limit. They go through school zone 20mph at more than 30mph. They, being school bus drivers who are responsible for the kids should be held to the standards of public safety. School buses are very dangerous and can do severe damage as in this case. The sheriffs/deputies never stop them because the kids will be late to school and the bus drivers know that.

    Reply
  3. Realist says

    April 27, 2017 at 9:17 pm

    These bus drivers are the worst. If I had school age children, I would drive them.

    Reply
  4. Veteran says

    April 27, 2017 at 9:32 pm

    Careless driving! Are you kiddingly?

    Reply
  5. Sw says

    April 28, 2017 at 7:59 am

    Everyone in a big hurry on the roads. Amazed more of this doesnt happen including concrete,dump trucks etc. Slow down.

    Reply
  6. Roll on 2 says

    April 28, 2017 at 4:44 pm

    Some of the worst! See them run red lights all the time! Even had to run a light to not get rear-ended by one!

    Reply
  7. Flagler Citizen says

    April 28, 2017 at 9:00 pm

    If the buses are commonly in a hurry–running red lights, speeding, making preemptive turns, could there be a problem? Are they on super tight schedules with their routes?

    Reply
  • grand living realty
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Advertisers

  • grand living realty
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents

Recent Comments

  • coyote on Flagler Pride Fest Is On Despite Hostile Climate, Drag Show Included, With a Few Cautionary Tucks
  • Michael Cocchiola on Flagler Pride Fest Is On Despite Hostile Climate, Drag Show Included, With a Few Cautionary Tucks
  • Laurel on County All But Derides Flagler Beach’s Plea for Financial Aid to Manage Visitors’ Impact
  • Laurel on Potentially Toxic Algae Bloom North of Bull Creek Campground Results in Urgent Health Alert
  • Laurel on Flagler Pride Fest Is On Despite Hostile Climate, Drag Show Included, With a Few Cautionary Tucks
  • Bill C on Take Pride
  • Laurel on Why Will Furry Is Demolishing the Flagler Youth Orchestra
  • Laurel on Why Will Furry Is Demolishing the Flagler Youth Orchestra
  • Bill C on Take Pride
  • Mary Fusco on Why Will Furry Is Demolishing the Flagler Youth Orchestra
  • Laurel on Why Will Furry Is Demolishing the Flagler Youth Orchestra
  • palmcoaster on Flagler School Board Scrutinizes Flagler Youth Orchestra’s Financials At Tuesday Workshop
  • bashful on Porsche-Driving Man Gets Impatient With Road-Crew Worker–and Drives Into Him
  • RitaMae on Why Will Furry Is Demolishing the Flagler Youth Orchestra
  • Bill C on Take Pride
  • Joan Buback on Flagler School Board Scrutinizes Flagler Youth Orchestra’s Financials At Tuesday Workshop

Log in