STARKE, Fla. — The truck driver involved in a crash with a school bus full of children in Bradford County in 2014 has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The State Attorney’s Office released surveillance video from the school bus showing the terrifying moments that a semi-truck driven by Shannon Ford crashed into the bus with students from Starke Elementary School.
In the video, you can see how in just seconds, the children were thrown out of their seats, with some falling to the floor, after the bus was hit.
Moments before, the school bus driver sees Ford in the rear-view mirror racing toward the bus and she stops the kids from getting off the bus.
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The impact of the crash is so intense that her legs go up in the air and even a shoe comes off.
Immediately, the bus driver jumps into action, calling for help and assisting the injured children.
The video shows one child who seems seriously hurt and the bus driver picks up that student and stays with the child until help arrives.
“Her maternal instincts kicked in and she took care of her kids, as she calls them,” Deputy Chief Darry Lloyd from the State Attorney's Office said.
Lloyd said the students’ parents and the bus driver gave testimony Wednesday during Ford’s sentencing hearing – a moment that Lloyd said gave closure to the families.
“It’s difficult for the families, but at the same time also they received some type of justice for their young ones,” Lloyd said.
Lloyd said Ford read a statement of apology to the families.