| Crash kills one, injures another | | Posted: Wednesday, October 31, 2012 12:00 pm
| By BRAD GASKINS
News Editor
One person is dead and a veteran school bus driver in serious condition after a wreck last Thursday near Palmersville.
William L. Quinton, 25, of Dresden was killed when the 2000 Ford F08 truck he was driving crossed lanes on Highway 89 and collided head-on with a school bus.
Quinton was not wearing a seatbelt, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
Sandra Puckett, the driver of the special education bus No. 11, was airlifted from the scene and eventually taken to the Vanderbilt Trauma Center in Nashville.
Three students were on the bus at the time, and one received a minor injury, according to THP.
Weakley County’s supervisor of transportation, Mike Simmons, praised Puckett’s handling of the crash.
“Mrs. Puckett’s efforts to avoid the crash were remarkable,” Simmons wrote in a press release from the school system.
Although injured, Puckett was able to radio the accident in, according to the release. Once state troopers arrived, Puckett made sure the troopers had the student roster to notify the students’ family members.
Director of Weakley County Schools Randy Frazier was in Nashville for a conference when the accident occurred. He was notified of the incident and left the conference early.
“He went straight over to Vanderbilt to check on Mrs. Puckett’s condition and stayed with her until family was able to arrive,” Assistant Director of Schools Jeff Kelley wrote in the press release.
Puckett is a long-time employee of the school system’s transportation department.
Brad Gaskins may be contacted by email at wcpeditor@frontiernet.net.
Published in The WCP 10.30.12 | | | | |
