Texas bus driver indicted after deadly crash with train
A 13-year-old boy died and a 9-year-old girl was injured.
A Texas man has been indicted on manslaughter and injury to a child charges following the death of a 13-year-old boy on a school bus struck by a train in January, according to The Associated Press.
John Franklin Stevens was driving the Athens Independent School District bus on Jan. 25 when it was slammed into by a Union Pacific freight train. A 9-year-old girl, the only other passenger, also was severely injured.
Stevens, 78, of Mabank, Texas, could not be reached for comment, according to the AP.
The Henderson County District Attorney's Office said in a statement the bus stopped at the crossing before it proceeded and was struck by the train. At the time of the crash, police in Athens, which is about 70 miles southeast of Dallas, reported that the bus initially stopped and that a witness heard the train's horn as it neared the intersection.
The body of Christopher Bonilla was found outside the bus, which had been pushed down the tracks about a quarter of a mile. Joselyne Torres was rescued from the bus.
"It is with great sorrow that we confirm one of our precious middle school students lost his life today when a district school bus collided with a train in Athens," the school district said in a statement at the time. "We ask that you join with us in humbly praying for their families."
No one on the freight train was injured.
ABC News' Mark Osborne, Matt Foster and Lauren Botchan contributed to this report.
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