Fulton County Bus Driver Charged in Fatal Crash

A Fulton County school bus driver has been charged with two counts of misdemeanor vehicular homicide following a crash in Roswell, Georgia.

Details of the Fatal Fulton County Crash

According to WGCL-TV, Charles Pitts, 69, was operating a Fulton County School bus when it collided with a passenger vehicle at the intersection of Highway 92 and West Road on April 24. The crash resulted in the deaths of two brothers, Jim Pratt, 18, and Joe Pratt, 14.

An accident report states that while Pitts had stopped at the stop sign on West Road, he failed to yield after stopping and pulled into the path of Jim Pratt, who was traveling east on Highway 92.

Pitts was granted a $21,000 bond on Tuesday in connection with two counts of misdemeanor vehicular homicide and a stop sign violation.

Nobody on the school bus was injured in the crash.

School Transportation Accident Statistics

• According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were 1,344 people killed in school-transportation-related crashes recorded between 2004 and 2013. This averages to 134 fatalities per year.
• Of the 1,344 fatalities, only 8 percent were occupants of school transportation vehicles.
• Most (71%) of the people who lost their lives in these crashes were occupants of other vehicles involved in the crashes.
• Nonoccupants, including pedestrians, bicyclists, etc., accounted for 21 percent of the fatalities.
• Among the 106 occupants killed in school transportation vehicles between 2004 and 2013, 45 were drivers and 61 were passengers.