School bus driver charged with DWI after crash

Friday, April 23, 2010

Tags:

cumberland county, local/state

CUMBERLAND COUNTY (WTVD) -- Authorities say a 1998 Ford Expedition rear-ended a Cumberland County school bus Friday afternoon when the bus stopped on Pritchett Road near Cliffdale Road.

It happened just before 3:00 p.m. as the driver, 49-year-old Charles Wynn, was taking students home from Lewis Chapel Middle School.

Officials say 18 students were on board bus 511 at the time of the crash. One student from the bus and a child from the SUV were transported to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries. Three other students were later taken to the hospital by parents.

"All the injuries seem to be bumps and bruises, nothing major at this time," Cumberland County Transportation Director Al Miller said.

Officials say when authorities arrived at the scene of the crash, the driver of the SUV was determined to be at fault. However while at the scene, police say they smelled alcohol on Wynn's breath and issued a field sobriety test. He blew a 0.20 -- well over the legal limit of 0.08.

Wynn has been charged with driving while subject to impairing substance, operating a school bus after consuming alcohol and driving while impaired while operating a commercial vehicle.

"For a person to come to school drunk ... I wish I had the answer," Miller said.

Officials say Wynn is a substitute bus driver for Cumberland County Schools and is also employed as a night custodian at 71st High School.

School officials say Wynn is suspended pending an investigation.

Meanwhile, the driver of the SUV, 29-year-old Travis Hunter, has been charged with failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and operating a vehicle with a revoked license.