Seat Belts Didn't Fit Correctly Before Bus Crash: Student

PARAMUS, NJ — A student passenger on the bus that crashed on Interstate 80 says the seat belts did not fit students properly and were loose.

Peter Caminiti Jr. and his son, Peter Caminiti III, made an impassioned plea to district officials this week that bus drivers inspect passengers' seat belts before traveling to ensure they fit properly.

"Paramus, as good as it is, I think we need more safety precautions, like a three-point seat belt," the younger Caminiti said at a Board of Education meeting Monday. He was recently released from the hospital after suffering a major concussion and had a little trouble speaking due to the severity of his injury, his father said.

"Bus drivers should always check to make sure their passengers are buckled because a lot of students had faulty seat belts," the elder Caminiti said. "As soon as they would latch, they were loose."

Caminiti III wants to ensure his friends and schoolmates are safe.

"This is one of the things Peter wants to take charge of, making sure that all the buses have three-point harnesses," Caminiti Jr. said, who noted something else that needs addressing following the crash: Identification.

"Kids need identification on them," Caminiti Jr. said. "That was a massive issue during triage, identifying who the children were. As a parent, just hearing that your kid was in an accident and not knowing where he was, it's debilitating."

The response from school officials and the community has been "stellar," Caminiti Jr. said.

"Paramus, today, is a family of 26,000 people," he said. "Everyone’s a mom, a dad, a brother, a sister. It is one big family. This board has supported every family who has been affected, in my opinion, 100 percent. There’s nothing more I could ask following a tragedy like this."

In a preliminary report released hours after the crash, New Jersey State Police said the bus got on I-80 West from southbound Route 206, and collided with the dump truck near milepost 25.1, just past Exit 25. The bus was one of three taking fifth-graders from East Brook to Waterloo Village.

Two people, teacher Jennifer Williamson-Kennedy and 10-year-old student Miranda Faith Vargas died in the Mount Olive crash. Forty-three people on board were injured, some critically.

Hudy Muldrow Sr. of Paterson drove the school bus in the fatal crash. He has a long history of driving trouble, the state Motor Vehicle Commission confirmed. Those troubles include 14 license suspensions.

Despite his record, Muldrow still managed to have a commercial driver's license with valid passenger and school bus endorsements, Commission spokesperson Mairin Bellack said.

There will be a candlelight vigil for the victims at the Paramus High School football field tonight at 7:30 p.m.

Related:

• Why Was Elderly Man With 14 Suspensions Driving Doomed NJ Bus?
• Driver, 77, Revealed In Fatal NJ School Bus Crash
• Was School Bus Trying To Make Illegal U-Turn Before Rt. 80 Crash?
• Paramus Girl Still Critical Following School Bus Crash
• Memorial Created At East Brook Middle School Following Deaths
• Paramus Community Mourns Dedicated Teacher Killed In Crash
• Teacher, Student Confirmed Dead In Paramus Field Trip Bus Crash

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Photo of the Paramus school bus that crashed on I-80 in Mount Olive Thursday. (Courtesy of CBS2, used with permission)