14 February 2011 by 2011 by wftv.com
ORLANDO, Fla. -- A Disney bus with nearly 50 vacationers inside collided with a tractor trailer Monday morning and investigators said they are trying to figure out who was at fault. The vehicles collided on Boggy Creek Road near SR-417 (see map).
The tractor trailer driver told troopers he had a flashing yellow light as he entered the intersection from Boggy Creek. But the bus driver said he had a green light as he entered the intersection off of SR-417, and his passengers confirmed his story.
"This is unusual, so we're looking into what the signal was doing at the time of the crash," said Kim Montes of the Florida Highway Patrol.
Investigators are working with traffic engineers to determine who had the right of way. There are no traffic cameras at the intersection.
The Disney bus driver, 50-year-old Rockland Steel has been ticketed for failing to yield in the past.
Mears Transportation owns and operates the Disney Magical Express, but no one at Mears returned WFTV's call.
WFTV didn't find any past infractions against the truck driver, 52-year-old Wayne Earle of Palm Bay. He wasn't hurt.
Four passengers, including the bus driver were injured but the accident could have deadly.
"We're just very lucky that with these two types of vehicles at an intersection where you typically have t-bone crashes that are very serious, this could have been much worse," Montes said.
The bus involved was part of Disney's Magical Express fleet, which solely takes people to and from the airport.
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