Bus driver pleads not guilty in Soldiers Field Road crash that injured dozens in February
A 66-year-old Philadelphia man pleaded not guilty today to negligent operation of a motor vehicle for allegedly driving his charter bus into an overpass on Soldiers Field Road in Allston in February, injuring dozens of people.
Samuel Jackson was released on personal recognizance. He left Brighton District Court without commenting. A further hearing was slated for July 24.
According to a police report filed in court, when police asked Jackson how he came to drive his 12-foot-tall bus into the overpass, he said, “I was following the GPS.’’ The report said there was no evidence that Jackson was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The report said Jackson could not explain why he drove 500 feet after hitting the overpass, which carries Western Avenue over Soldiers Field Road.
Police say there are “multiple signs’’ forbidding buses and trucks from entering the roadway.
The crash on Feb. 2 injured youths and chaperones who were heading home after visiting Harvard University. Most of the passengers only suffered minor injuries, but a few suffered serious injuries.
The passengers had visited Harvard on a trip organized by Destined for a Dream Foundation Inc., nonprofit organization based in Bristol, Pa., that serves disadvantaged youth.
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