John Willoughby
reporter2@greenepublishing.com
In the early morning hours of Friday, Dec. 13, first responders rushed to the scene of a two vehicle accident involving a Madison County school bus in front of the Madison County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) on US Hwy. 90, in Madison. The incident occurred at approximately 7:50 a.m.
According to the Madison County School District and the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), Bus No. 7, driven by Derrick Lamar Love, 55, of Greenville, was en route to the Madison County Central School (MCCS) from the Madison County High School when eastbound traffic was stopped by a MCSO deputy who was directing traffic at the west entrance of MCCS. Upon stopping, Bus No. 7 was rear-ended by 47-year-old Julie Denise Keathley, of Greenville.
Approximately 41 students on the bus were evacuated by Madison County Fire Rescue (MCFR) and, upon initial evaluation, were walked to MCCS for further evaluation and to obtain information regarding the incident. Parents and/or guardians of the students were notified as soon as possible.
Keathley, who informed officials that she thought she had fallen asleep, was charged with driving too fast for conditions and wearing no seatbelt.
Assisting at the scene were Florida Highway Patrol's Trooper M.V. Fillyaw, MCSO, MCFR, Madison Fire Department and Madison County School District officials.