Criminal charge filed against driver involved in fatal Springfield school bus crash
The driver of a van involved in a crash with a school bus that killed an elementary school student in Clark County now faces a criminal charge after authorities accused him of driving without a valid license.
Hermanio Joseph, 35, is charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, according to documents filed Wednesday with the Clark County Municipal Clerk of Courts.
According to court records, the charge against Joseph is a fourth-degree felony. Ohio law says that vehicular homicide is a fourth-degree felony, not a misdemeanor charge, if the person driving "did not have a valid driver's license" or was driving with a suspended license.
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According to court records, Joseph gave Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers his state identification card, which is not a driver's license, and a driver's license from Mexico. That license was "determined to be not valid due to his immigration status."
Information from universities with international students and the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles states that permanent residents or those who have applied for asylum status can be issued driver's licenses but have to pass the driving tests that citizens do.
Ohio ID cards are only issued to those who can show proof of their legal residency, according to the BMV's website.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the Highway Patrol had not yet released an official crash report to confirm Joseph's driving status at the time of the crash.
Around 8:15 a.m. Tuesday, Joseph was driving a 2010 Honda Odyssey that went left of center on State Route 41 near Lawrenceville Road outside Springfield, according to officials.
The Odyssey hit a Northwestern Local Schools bus that had more than 50 elementary school students on board headed for their first day of school. The bus driver, the Highway Patrol said, tried to avoid a collision with the van by driving onto the shoulder, but the vehicles still collided.
The Springfield News-Sun and WHIO-TV reported the bus rolled onto its top, ejecting at least one student, and bystanders flipped the bus onto its side to help evacuate the bus. One student died at the scene and more than two dozen others were hospitalized with injuries.
Joseph and his passenger, a 37-year-old man, were taken to Springfield Regional Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries.
Joseph is not yet booked into the Clark County jail, according to jail records.
Other charges are also possible when a grand jury reviews the case in Clark County.
Northwestern Local Schools canceled classes and athletic contests Wednesday and provided grief counseling and mental health services for students, faculty and staff. A number of community prayer vigils are also scheduled.
While the student who was killed has not been publicly identified, an online fundraiser and meal train for his family has generated more than $43,000 in donations as of 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Several other community organizations in Springfield are also collecting donations for the student's family.
bbruner@dispatch.com
@bethany_bruner
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Criminal charge filed in fatal Springfield, Ohio school bus crash
