A Morongo Unified School District school bus driver has been named “School Bus Driver” of the year for his quick actions after a traffic collision in Yucca Valley.
Ben Glaser, who drives with Student Transportation of America, has been named the Southern Region School Bus Driver of the Year for 2023 by the California Highway Patrol.
Glaser was driving a bus full of 28 students away from La Contenta Middle School on August 24, 2023. While the bus was heading westbound on Onaga Trl, the CHP reports that a Nissan, driven by David Terrey, a 53-year-old Yucca Valley resident, did not stop at a stop sign. The Nissan struck the right side of the school bus. The bus was pushed off the road into a yard, and collided with another vehicle.
One child on the bus suffered minor injuries and was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital out of an abundance of caution.
MUSD Risk & Transportation Director Jack Salseda said that it was a “Miracle” that all students were able to go home safely that day.
Terrey was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment for injuries. He was cited for his involvement in the collision, and has since failed to appear in court for hearings related to the citations.
Glaser was recognized for his efforts as the Driver of the Year for all of Southern California by a panel including representatives California Highway Patrol, Dept. of Motor Vehicles, Dept. of Education and California Association of School Transportation Officials. He was presented with an award at a ceremony on Friday (April 26)
Glaser drives for the Student Transportation of America in Yucca Valley, serving students on the eastend of the Morongo Unified School District. He received his California School Bus Certificate from San Diego Unified School District in 2019; he then drove for Chula Vista Elementary School in 2020 and came to Student Transportation of America in Morongo Unified in April 2022.
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