Driver In Deadly NJ School Bus Crash Had 14 License Suspensions

PARAMUS, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission said Tuesday the 77-year-old man behind the wheel of the school bus involved in last week's deadly crash has held a driver's license since 1975 and had a total of 14 license suspensions and eight speeding tickets, a careless driving ticket and a ticket for an improper turn in 2010, CBS News transportation correspondent Kris Van Cleave reports.

CBS2's Lisa Rozner first reported the driver's record of violations Monday.

Only one license suspension was due to a moving violation, the N.J. MVC said.

A teacher and a student were killed last week when a dump truck collided with a bus filled with fifth graders on a field trip in New Jersey. Forty-three others were injured.

The driver was licensed to drive a school bus starting in 2013, the N.J. MVC said. That same year, he was cited for not wearing a seat belt.

The driver of the bus, Hudy Muldrow Sr., remains hospitalized as authorities continue to investigate the deadly crash. His son, Hudy Muldrow Jr., told CBS2 exclusively on Monday his dad has injuries to his shoulder, leg and stomach, but is conscious and alert.

"He's in pain. He's talking. He said that he was sorry that two people lost their lives," Hudy Muldrow Jr. said.

Sources told CBS2 that Muldrow Sr. was driving a bus full of children and teachers on Route 80 in Mount Oliver when he missed an exit. He then tried to make an illegal U-turn, and was struck by a dump truck.

"I said, 'Dad, you know, I'm hearing stories that you made an illegal U-turn,' and as far as that I didn't get no answer," Hudy Muldrow Jr. said, later clarifying, "He told me he didn't do it."

The violent force of the crash ripped the in two pieces and flipped it over. The bus did have seatbelts. Theo Ancevski, 11, was onboard during the collision.

"A lot of people were screaming. And they were hanging from their seat belts ... A few people got out of the windows and they got out of the emergency exit on the top of the roof," Ancevski said.

At the time of the crash last Thursday, Muldrow had valid driving privileges, a valid commercial driver's license and a valid school bus endorsement. To get that endorsement, drivers have to undergo a background check, take a road test and pass a written test. Muldrow Sr. had no DWIs on his record.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)