Bus Driver Charged In I-95 Crash: Harford County State's Attorney

HAVRE DE GRACE, MD - The driver of the charter bus that crashed on Interstate 95 in May on the way from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., will be charged, the Harford County State's Attorney announced Wednesday.

Clarence C. Beamer Jr., 59, was driving a charter bus that officials said collided with a car on I-95 and flipped south of Havre de Grace on May 15.

All 30 people on the bus were taken to area hospitals for medical evaluations. The 26 students, two teachers and chaperone from C.W. Henry School in Philadelphia were en route to a field trip in D.C. when police said the bus crashed, struck an embankment and hit a tree before coming to rest on its side across I-95.

While witness statements initially led authorities to say it appeared a car cut off the bus, a recording from the bus has resulted in charges against the bus driver - Beamer - instead.

• I-95 Bus Crash: Police Say Preliminary Cause Determined, Dozens Injured

Maryland State Police and the Harford County State's Attorney's Office partnered in the investigation into what happened, and a recording played a key role.

The recording from the bus allegedly showed a car had been in the fast lane next to the charter bus when Beamer moved from the center lane into the left lane, forcing the car onto the shoulder.

Officials said the recording abruptly ended after the car and bus collided.

As a result of the recording from the bus, two charges will be waged against Beamer, the state's attorney reported on Wednesday, Aug. 30:

• Negligent driving contributing to an accident
• Failing to drive in a designated lane

Beamer will face a maximum of a $1,000 in fines, according to WJZ, as each charge is punishable by up to $500.

The crash occurred around 9:30 a.m. and impacted traffic for nearly five hours that day on I-95 south past the exit for MD 155.

One seriously injured bus passenger was hospitalized until late July, when she was released for rehab, Harford County State's Attorney Joseph Cassilly said in an email to Patch Wednesday. Everyone else in the crash was treated and released from area hospitals, according to Cassilly.

Photo from the May 15 crash on I-95 south near MD 155 courtesy of the Susquehanna Hose Company.