Passenger Trains > Driver in Jacksonville Transit vs. Amtrak crash has been fired

UPDATE:  The Jacksonville Transit bus driver involved in a collision with an Amtrak train, in which she placed the bus in the right-of-way with the crossing gate lowered on top of the bus, has been fired. 

Investigation included statements by some passengers on the bus that driver Carolyn Simmons was trying to beat the train across the crossing.  She had been placed on "hold-off" status, unpaid and not permitted to operate a bus, while the investigation proceeded.  Her driving record with Jacksonville Transit shows a dozen accidents in her twenty years, including three preventable crashes in two years, for which she was suspended. 

Simmons was also cited by Jacksonville Police for not complying with crossing devices. 

Simmons was the second driver fired by JTA in the past 30 days. In early June, 50-year-old Jeanie Rozar became entangled as she got off a bus in Mayport, was run over by the bus and died; that driver has also been fired.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/09/19 23:44 by GenePoon.

And I am sure the bus drivers union will be filling appeals.

jst3751 Wrote:
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> And I am sure the bus drivers union will be
> filling appeals.

As they should.

Typhoon Wrote:
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> jst3751 Wrote:
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> > And I am sure the bus drivers union will be
> > filling appeals.
>
> As they should.

Why should they? She was an embarrassment to the union and obviously an incompetent employee.

HotWater Wrote:
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> Typhoon Wrote:
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> > jst3751 Wrote:
> >
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> > -----
> > > And I am sure the bus drivers union will be
> > > filling appeals.
> >
> > As they should.
>
> Why should they? She was an embarrassment to the
> union and obviously an incompetent employee.

Because she paid her dues to have protection by the union.  It is no different than a lawyer should do everything in their power to defend someone, regardless of guilt, if that is what they are hired to do.

And if she was a rail, wouldn’t we be blaming management and everyone else?

Typhoon Wrote:
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> HotWater Wrote:
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> > Typhoon Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
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> > -----
> > > jst3751 Wrote:
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> > > -----
> > > > And I am sure the bus drivers union will be
> > > > filling appeals.
> > >
> > > As they should.
> >
> > Why should they? She was an embarrassment to
> the
> > union and obviously an incompetent employee.
>
> Because she paid her dues to have protection by
> the union.  It is no different than a lawyer
> should do everything in their power to defend
> someone, regardless of guilt, if that is what they
> are hired to do.

And she should lose according to this argument. Hiring drivers like this is what scares me from pubic transport!
 

Typhoon Wrote:
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> HotWater Wrote:
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> > Typhoon Wrote:
> >
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> > -----
> > > jst3751 Wrote:
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> > > -----
> > > > And I am sure the bus drivers union will be
> > > > filling appeals.
> > >
> > > As they should.
> >
> > Why should they? She was an embarrassment to
> the
> > union and obviously an incompetent employee.
>
> Because she paid her dues to have protection by
> the union.  It is no different than a lawyer
> should do everything in their power to defend
> someone, regardless of guilt, if that is what they
> are hired to do.

Yes, because common sense be dammed.

After working as a mechanic at a transit agency for 25yrs can say that many hired should have not been due to there skills.  One side swiped another bus that was waiting at a stop light so they could make a right turn typical dumb move.  So doing what this driver did would not have been a supprise either. 

flarails882 Wrote:
>
> And she should lose according to this argument.
> Hiring drivers like this is what scares me from
> pubic transport!
>  
Are you similarly scared to drive?  Fatality rates for automobile users are much higher than they are for bus riders.