Vineland school bus driver in recent crashes has record of tickets for speeding and missing stop signs

VINELAND - A school district bus driver recently involved in a second rear-end collision in slightly more than a year has a motor vehicle record that includes tickets for speeding and disregarding stop signs.
Records provided by the state Motor Vehicle Commission, or MVC, show Carlos Davila, 45, was cited for speeding in March and April 1991, and for disregarding stop signs in 1987 and 1990.
MVC spokesman Mike Horan said Davila and Carmen Ortiz, the driver whose school bus Davila hit on both April 23, 2009, and June 2, are drivers "in good standing with no points."
Both Davilia and Ortiz, 53, continue to drive school buses for the district.
The two rear-end accidents involving district school buses occurred when Davila was not watching where he was going, police department records show.
On April 23, 2009, Davila was pulling out of the D'Ippolito School on North Valley Avenue, "took his eye off the road" while attaching his seat belt and hit the back of Ortiz's bus, the accident report states. Ortiz had stopped her bus at a stop sign at the end of the school's driveway, it states.
More than 80 students were on the two buses when the accident occurred, the report states.
Ortiz said one student suffered a bloody nose, and Davila said "there were some students who sustained minor injuries," the report states. Ortiz dropped off all her students before speaking with police, while Davila dropped off several students before stopping at Eighth and Montrose streets, "where the police was notified," the report states.
Davila was eventually charged with careless driving, leaving the scene of an accident involving injuries and failure to report an accident. Police charged Ortiz with leaving the scene of an accident involving injuries and failure to report an accident. Both drivers pleaded guilty May 14, 2009, to failure to report an accident. They were each fined $106 and $33 in court costs.
On June 2, Davila hit a school bus - again driven by Ortiz - at Chestnut and Lincoln avenues.
Vineland Sgt. John McCann said Davila was looking in the rearview mirror at a student who was standing in the bus when he hit the bus driven by Ortiz. McCann said no charges were filed in that accident.
City police said while no students suffered any major injuries, some Vineland High School students complained of breathing problems incurred from sitting on a hot bus following the accident. The students were evaluated at area hospitals, they said.
School district spokesman John Sbrana said Ortiz, a full-time employee since January 2008, and Davila, full-time since March 2009, both "continue to be employed by the district."
"I cannot comment on any possible consequences for any employees on specific incidents," Sbrana said. "However, the safety of our students is our highest priority, and we cooperate fully with the Vineland Police Department in the investigation of all accidents. We also conduct our own internal investigations of these accidents. Each accident is decided on a case-by-case basis."
All school bus accidents must be reported to the state Department of Education. A department spokesman said Tuesday he was checking to see if the report had been filed with the state.
Davila could not be reached for comment.
Ortiz's driving record only has one blemish - a speeding ticket she received in 1987, Horan said.
Horan called the driving records of both Davila and Ortiz "unremarkable."
MVC regulations state that a person wanting to drive a school bus must have a Class C commercial driver's license, which requires passing of a road and driving knowledge test. Potential drivers also must:
- Be at least 21 years old and have three years' driving experience
- Have a basic New Jersey driver's license
- Have at least 20-40 vision in each eye
- Have 70 degrees of peripheral vision in each eye
- Be able to recognize red, green and amber colors
- Be morally and physically fit
School bus drivers also must have what are called passenger and school endorsements. Those endorsements require an applicant to be fingerprinted and pass a state and federal background check.
Contact Thomas Barlas:
609-272-7201
TBarlas@pressofac.com