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Mechanical records for Oakland School bus were allegedly altered after a fatal fire

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February 8th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

The Des Moines Register reports an investigation into the Dec. 12th, 2017 fatal Riverside School District school bus fire, has revealed new information in the case. In the report, investigators found mechanical repair records for the bus involved in the fire that killed a student and the bus driver, were changed a week after the fatal fire. Following an inspection which occurred six days before the fire, the bus was ordered to stop transporting students. An exit lock signal and outside warning light were both not working at the time of the inspection.

The school district reported the fixes were made on a handwritten note the same day as the inspection. The state requires all bus repairs to be reported with the state before it can start transportation again, but the school failed to do so. Those same fixes weren’t reported to the state until at least seven days after the accident.

Federal investigators and the National Transportation Safety Board are still investigating.