Vermilion School Transportation supervisor reacts to accident that killed 4 on Hwy. 90

Shortly before noon on Saturday, a school bus carrying members of the Lafayette High baseball team collided with an SUV.
The crash, which took place on U.S. Highway 90 in St. Mary Parish and reportedly occurred as a result of a blowout to one of the SUV’s tires, left four of five passengers in the SUV dead and many on the bus injured.
Of the four SUV passengers killed, none were wearing seatbelts: the driver, Ladonna Cheatham, 36, of Patterson; 6-year-old Destiny Cheatham; Dwayne Escort, 14; and Marcus Cheatman, 16. Mark Cheatman, 17, who survived was the only one wearing a seatbelt.
None of the players on the bus suffered serious injuries. One of the adults, 23-year-old Cody Ortego of Lafayette, sustained moderate injuries and was transported to a local area hospital. Seven of the students on the bus, all of them teenagers, were transported to area hospitals with minor injuries. That information came from the officials with the Louisiana State Police, Troop I.
When news of the crash first broke, Vermilion Parish Transportation, the Supervisor raced to find details.
“When I first saw it my heart dropped,” Small said Monday morning. “All I saw was that a school bus was involved. I had buses rolling Saturday. I didn’t know who it was (involved in the crash). I tried to think immediately where our buses were going. We had a speech team and sports teams out. There is sometimes so much going on.
“My immediate goal was to try to find out where the bus was from.”
Small soon discovered the bus originated from Lafayette Parish. He breathed a sigh of relief. To an extent.
“It’s a tragedy and I felt for them,” Small said. “I was relieved that it was not one of our buses. I know I would have gotten a call by that point if it was. Everything is just happening so fast.”
It is a situation like this that most concerns Small.
“In this position the one fear you have is an accident happening with one of the buses where there are injuries,” Small said. “I cringe when it is foggy in the morning or it is raining.”
Those are days when the experience of the drivers is at its most important. The driver of the Lafayette bus, Amy Dore of Sunset, is credited by some parents of the Lafayette High players for keeping the tragedy from becoming worse. Dore reportedly handled the bus in such a way that prevented it from flipping. Dore has been with the Lafayette District since 2004.
“You definitely feel good about the drivers who are more experienced,” Small said. “Most of our drivers have been driving for more than 10 years. We are getting some who are retiring and we are getting some new people.
“I feel good about our drivers.”
When there is turnover and new drivers do come on with the Parish, proper steps are taken before a driver gets behind the wheel.
“To get a Commercial Driver License they have to do a written test,” Small explained. “They also have to identify the different parts of the bus and then take a driving test.”
That test takes place in Lafayette.
“The gentleman who administers the test is pretty tough,” Small said. “He will fail you if you are not (100 percent) up for it.
“We are not letting just anyone behind the wheel.”
Even with seasoned drivers, on down to the new ones, Vermilion Parish stays on top of safety issues. Small said those are reviewed often.
“I stress to the drivers things like being safe and leaving on time so you are not in a rush,” Small said. “Make sure you are not distracted.”
The Parish also partners with outside groups to help facilitate safe driving.
“We do an inservice with the (Louisiana) State Police during the summer,” Small said. “They come and talk about distracted driving and being aware of things that could happen.
“They share stories of things they see on the road.”
Many of the buses drivers will see on the road in Vermilion Parish are newer models. The Parish has brought in many new additions the fleet of more than 130 buses in recent years. Small said eight new buses will soon be added.
“Driving in a newer bus is safer than driving in an older bus,” Small said. “We have a really good fleet.”