A truck driver was arraigned this week in Westmoreland County on charges of homicide by vehicle and five summary traffic offenses for his role in a school bus crash that took the life of a Blairsville woman last year.
60-year-old Wesley White of New Oxford, Adams County, was hauling stone in a tri-axle truck on the morning of April 10th, 2017, when he crashed into the rear end of a bus that was in the process of stopping to pick up a Derry High School student. The accident happened on Route 22 in Derry Township. 54-year-old Deborah Bopp of Blairsville was driving the bus and was ejected despite wearing a seatbelt. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Bopp drove for Smith Bus Company of Blairsville. She was the only person on the bus. White drove for P&B Transportation of Apollo. He no longer works there.
White is charged with homicide by vehicle, careless driving, reckless driving, following too closely, driving at unsafe speed, and failing to heed the flashing amber lights of the bus. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing next Wednesday morning before District Judge Mark Bilik. He is free on $50,000 unsecured bond.
