Lagana Calls for Legislative Hearings on School Bus Safety

Diegnan will schedule the committee hearing

TRENTON – Senator Joseph Lagana (D-Paramus) today called for legislative hearings on school bus safety in New Jersey, asking that the Senate Transportation Committee convene a special meeting to analyze safety standards, to review “best practices” for preventing accidents and to compare New Jersey with other states.

Senator Lagana is acting in response to the tragic bus accident in Mount Olive that took the lives of a student and a teacher and left more than 40 other passengers injured, some seriously. The accident involving a dump truck and a bus of fifth graders and teachers from East Brook Middle School in Paramus left the bus overturned and partially torn apart and sent 43 of the 45 passengers to local hospitals, where some remain in critical conditions.

“This is the worst nightmare for parents and teachers,” said Senator Lagana. “Our hearts go out to the families of the student and teacher who lost their lives and to everyone who is part of the East Brook Middle School community. This is a tragedy that touches us all. As we come together to support those in need, we must also begin the steps to ensure a tragedy like this does not happen again.”

Senator Patrick Diegnan, the Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, said that he will schedule the committee for a public hearing.

“When parents send their children off to school in the morning they need to know that everything possible is done to ensure their safety,” said Senator Diegnan. “We will review every aspect of this accident to determine what went wrong and what can be done to ensure the safety of each and every school bus in every community in New Jersey. This is a shared responsibility that we all take seriously.”

Senate President Steve Sweeney expressed his support for the hearing.