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Hillsborough school bus driver blamed in last week's bus crash, fired

 
Hillsborough sheriff's investigators said Tuesday that the bus crash was the result of "carelessness" by driver Lenoir Sainfimin, 54. [Screen grab of bus monitor video, provided by Hillsborough County Public Schools]
Hillsborough sheriff's investigators said Tuesday that the bus crash was the result of "carelessness" by driver Lenoir Sainfimin, 54. [Screen grab of bus monitor video, provided by Hillsborough County Public Schools]
Published Sept. 23, 2015

TAMPA — Hillsborough sheriff's investigators have revealed what last week caused a school bus with 27 kids on board to crash and roll over in shallow water: the driver.

"Excessive speed" and "carelessness" led the bus to careen into a pond, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday, because the driver likely pressed down on the brake and accelerator at the same time.

That driver, Lenoir Sainfimin, 54, was cited for careless driving and fired by the Hillsborough County School District on Tuesday.

"What we suspect occurred is, yes, he was pressing the brake as hard as he could," said Hillsborough sheriff's Maj. Chad Chronister. "But what we were able to replicate that next day is you could angle your foot (to) hit the accelerator at the same time."

Surveillance video of Thursday's crash helped investigators reach that conclusion.

"That video footage confirmed our suspicions," Chronister said, "because we could hear the engine accelerating, but the bus was not accelerating."

The school bus was traveling at least 48 mph in a 35 mph zone before the crash, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Investigators ruled out driver impairment and said a mechanic could not find any mechanical problems with the 21-year-old school bus with more than 294,000 miles on it. The driver, who had been suspended with pay until he was let go Tuesday, cooperated with the investigation.

Sainfimin declined to comment, saying he needed to talk to his lawyer first.

After the crash, the driver was one of those praised for helping get the kids out safely — as were members of the school safety patrol on the bus and the deputies and onlookers who rushed to the scene after the crash. All 27 kids managed to escape serious injury. The pond was about 4 feet deep.

Sainfimin was a new driver with the district, on the job for barely a week, when his bus veered off road at Nine Eagles Drive, burst through low-hanging tree limbs and careened into the water, landing on its side.

Officials also released recordings of three 911 calls from the crash. They described the harrowing moments after the bus hit the water.

One call came from a guard at the Eagles Golf Club:

"A bus lost control. It's in the water with the kids. Please help," the distraught guard said.

The dispatcher asked for clarification. "A bus lost control," the guard said. "It's in the water with all the kids in it."

The dispatcher assured her that help was coming.

"He was flying," the guard said of the bus driver. "He lost total control."

Sainfimin was cited for careless driving in 2014 after a crash involving a commercial vehicle, according to state records. He was found guilty and had three points added to his driving record. Records show he later took a four-hour driving course, which can be used to remove points from a driver's record.

Superintendent Jeff Eakins said district officials knew of Sainfimin's driving record when he was hired as a school bus driver, but the 2014 citation wasn't a concern.

"There's nothing that prevents the school district from hiring somebody who has, perhaps, something like that on their record," Eakins said.

Eakins said Sainfimin met all the requirements for the job and successfully completed his training. Hillsborough County's school buses transport 90,000 students each day, he said, and an incident like this one was a first in his 26 years with the school district.

"We go through that process very vigorously with them, each and every one of them," Eakins said. "We go above and beyond those requirements."

Times senior researcher John Martin contributed to this report. Contact Michael Majchrowicz at (813) 226-3374 or mmajchrowicz@tampabay.com. Follow @mjmajchrowicz.