Tuesday, Feb. 09, 2010

Horry County school bus driver charged in fatal crash

A Little River man, who was driving a school bus, has been charged with failing to yield right-of-way in connection with a fatal crash that killed a local high school student on a motorcycle, according to authorities.

Michael Joseph Burns, 77, was charged Friday with failure to yield right-of-way in connection with the Nov. 2 crash in which 18-year-old Marc Chaplin died, said Lance Cpl. Sonny Collins with the S.C. Highway Patrol.

Burns, who is set to appear in traffic court on March 3, said he couldn’t comment and had been instructed to refer everything to the school. He said he would have an attorney but had not spoken with one yet.

Burns has been on administrative leave with pay until the matter is resolved, said Teal Britton, spokeswoman with Horry County Schools.

Chaplin, a senior at the Academy of Arts, Sciences and Technology, died in the crash that happened about 8:10 a.m. as the bus driven by Burns turned onto the northbound S.C. 31 ramp at Robert Grissom Parkway, according to authorities. Chaplin, whose base school was Myrtle Beach High, was on his way to the academy on International Drive.

No students were on the bus at the time of the crash, and Burns was returning to North Myrtle Beach High School after dropping students off at the academy, authorities said. Burns has driven for the school district for four years and was treated at the scene when the crash occurred.