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A Wichita school bus driver was fired after students say she took them on a crazy ride all over town that ended with a hit and run accident.
The bizarre string of events unfolded last Thursday after pick-up from Hadley Middle School.
7th grader Michael Kesinger said it all started with one wrong turn and quickly got worse as the bus driver became lost and admitted she didn't know where she was headed.
"We had no clue where she was going to go," Kesinger said.
The boy said he felt crying it was so scary. He described how the bus struck a street sign and rolled onto a curb at one point.
"It felt like the bus was going to tip over," the 12 year-old said.
Minutes later, according to Kesinger, the bus driver struck a parked pick-up at the corner of Lincoln and Waco, at least 15 minutes away from Hadley.
Kesinger said the woman got out, inspected the damage and drove off without reporting the incident to anyone.
First Student, the bus company contracted by Wichita Public Schools, said the driver was in her second week on the job and got lost.
First Student said she, like all its drivers, went through 43 hours of classroom and behind the wheel training prior to carrying students.
The bus company said no students were ever in any danger and all were dropped off safely.
A spokesman said the driver passed a drug and alcohol test. She was fired after failing to follow procedures and immediately report the accident to dispatchers.
The same bus driver was involved in another minor accident just one day earlier during pick-up at Hadley middle school. First Student says that incident was reported and the driver was cleared to finish her route.
The next morning, she underwent a few hours of classroom training and behind the wheel training before picking up her students.
First Student said after the hit and run accident Thursday, members of its safety team went to the scene, found the vehicle and left a note for the driver.
There was no police report filed because no one was hurt and the bus company was able to make contact with the owner that same day.
Wichita Police said a report is only required if there's an injury, or drugs or alcohol are involved, or total damage is more than one thousand dollars.
WPD records showed six "at fault" accidents involving First Student buses in the past three years.