A D.C. area school bus driver has been charged with driving while intoxicated after he crashed into a ditch resulting in nine children suffering injuries on their way back from a field trip, police said.
The Fairfax County Police Department in Virginia shared the incident in a press release. The department shared that Troy Reynolds, 48, was behind the wheel at the time of the accident.
On the bus were 44 students and four adults from Murch Elementary School in D.C. who were coming back from a field trip at Cox Farms in Centreville, Virginia.
The bus veered off the road after hitting a rock, causing the tire's rim to bend and flatten.
"Reynolds continued driving until the adults on the bus convinced him to follow a second bus, which was also returning to the school from the field trip," police said. "The two buses stopped in a parking lot."
First responders arrived at the parking lot and treated the nine children who suffered minor injuries, according to the police.
Police spoke with Reynolds, who reportedly failed a field sobriety test and was taken to a detention center with a blood alcohol content of .20, well over the legal limit in Virginia of .08.
Police looked into Reynolds' background and discovered he had his license revoked in Virginia for a prior DWI and suspended in Maryland. He also had a fake medical card on him, according to the release.
A "thorough review of our transportation vendors to ensure that student safety is always prioritized," according to Lewis Ferebee, the DC Public Schools Chancellor.
Motor Carrier Safety found that Reynolds and the other bus driver on the trip had a total of 18 safety violations between them, leaving many wondering how they found themselves behind the wheel.
"MCS determined that none of the bus drivers were properly licensed to operate a school bus," authorities said.
The district has not responded to requests for comment from multiple news organizations.
Reynolds is now facing charges of driving while intoxicated, commercial DWI with child endangerment, and gross, wanton, or reckless care for a child.
He is currently being held on no bond.
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