School Bus Driver In Crash Wasn't Authorized To Drive Commercial Vehicle

A school bus driver involved in a fatal crash on Tuesday was not authorized to drive a commercial vehicle, the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration told the 11 News I-Team on Thursday.

A company lawyer disputes that.

The MVA said the driver of the school bus, Glenn Chappell, was not authorized to operate a commercial motor vehicle because his medical exam certificate expired on Aug. 31.

"The Maryland Department of Transportation’s Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) is actively assisting law enforcement’s bus crash investigation. The MVA determined that effective 09-01-2016, Mr. Glenn R. Chappell was no longer authorized to drive a commercial motor vehicle because he failed to provide an updated Medical Examiner’s Certificate, which expired on 08-31-2016," the MVA said in a statement to the I-Team.

"MVA sent him two letters notifying him of the consequences of not providing his Medical Examiner’s Certificate: 07-17-2016 and 09-08-2016. Based on federal regulations, employers are required to maintain a Medical Examiner’s Certificate, which includes the date of expiration, for all of their CDL drivers."

Federal regulations require a driver’s employer, in this case AA Affordable Transportation, to maintain the medical certificate. George Bogris, a lawyer who says he represents the company, told the 11 News I-Team that Chappell’s medical certificate was valid as of June and on file at AA Affordable Transportation. Bogris could not explain why the MVA did not have it.

Early Thursday evening, the MVA referred back to its statement, saying, "Mr. Glenn R. Chappell was no longer authorized to drive a commercial motor vehicle because he failed to provide an updated Medical Examiner’s Certificate, which expired on 08-31-2016."

The MVA added, "He did not provide the MVA with an updated Medical Examiner’s Certificate."

Sources told the 11 News I-Team that investigators are pursuing information that Chappell might have had a seizure as recently as several weeks ago. Investigators are waiting for autopsy results to help determine whether Chappell might have suffered a medical problem that made him incapable of maintaining control of the school bus.

Chappell, 67, was driving a school bus Tuesday morning on Frederick Avenue in southwest Baltimore. The school bus struck a cemetery fence, a Ford Mustang and an MTA bus.

Video taken by a security camera facing Frederick Avenue shows Tuesday morning’s pace of traffic. The video shows a car slowing down shortly after 6:30 a.m., then a school bus barreling down behind it, its speed appearing to be significantly higher than the rate that other cars had been traveling. Sources said investigators estimate that the bus was going 45 to 55 mph at the time of impact. There were no visible skid marks on the road.

The car in the video appears to be the Mustang, which was hit by the school bus as it was preparing to turn. Its driver survived.

Investigators said the bus kept going, and more than 800 feet later, slammed into the MTA bus heading in the opposite direction, killing its driver and four passengers on board. The crash also killed Chappell and injured 10 others.

New: video from Tuesday morning apparently showing school bus hitting the Mustang at higher than normal speed..started the crash pic.twitter.com/vfA96of8nZ — Jayne Miller (@jemillerwbal) November 3, 2016

National Transportation Safety Board investigators spent Thursday combing through the wreckage of all three vehicles involved in the crash.

Officials towed the MTA bus, the yellow school bus and the Mustang to the Bush Street Division MTA Maintenance Yard in west Baltimore. The NTSB will send what it called the vehicles’ recording modules to its lab in Washington.

Investigators intend to interview witnesses, who will include surviving passengers. They also have video from at least three cameras, including from the MTA bus, a church surveillance camera and a gas station surveillance camera.

NTSB investigators took measurements all over the crash scene, including side streets. The dimensions will be used to help calculate speed based on distance. The investigators also performed a 3-D scan of the wreckage.

The 11 News I-Team left a message for the owner of the company but has yet to receive a response. The I-Team has also questioned the city school system, which contracts with the company, but has yet to receive a response.

Police on Wednesday morning released the identities of five of the crash victims who were killed:

- Glenn R. Chappell, 67, of Baltimore, school bus driver

- Ebonee Danell Baker, 33, of Baltimore, MTA bus driver

- Cherry Denise Yarborough, 51, of Baltimore, a passenger

- Terance Lee Casey, 52, of Baltimore, a passenger

- Gerald Holloway, 51, of Baltimore, a passenger

- The sixth fatality was a 46-year-old woman, whose next of kin has not yet been determined. She was a passenger.

A large crowd gathered Tuesday night at the crash site for a memorial vigil. So many people showed up that police had to shut down Frederick Avenue. Hundreds of MTA workers lit candles, paying their respects.