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Bus driver fired after crash; driver wants to stop rumors
by Gregory R. Norfleet · News · June 30, 2016
West Branch Community Schools on Friday announced by e-mail and on its web site that school leaders fired the bus driver involved in a May 19 crash east of the city.
However, driver Amber E. Stubbs, 30, of West Branch wants parents to know she was not drinking and driving when the bus, carrying 19 children — including two of her own — hit the rear end of a truck on Delta Avenue.
Stubbs, who spoke Friday with the West Branch Times, said she received a letter a couple of days earlier from Superintendent Kevin Hatfield stating the district would no longer employ her to drive school buses.
Hatfield wrote in the announcement that, “Upon a review of available information and at the completion of an investigation by the District, the bus driver was released from employment with the District.”
Stubbs said she has heard rumors that she was drinking and driving and “got all sorts of tickets.” However, she said she believes her 0.034 percent blood alcohol concentration — state law forbids bus drivers from exceeding 0.04 percent — a test found after the crash may be tied to medicines she was taking at the time: a prescription medication known generically as citalopram and an off-the-shelf medication to alleviate pain caused by canker sores.
Cedar County Sheriff’s Department administered two alcohol tests on Stubbs, but did not issue a citation for operating while intoxicated because she was within the legal limit. She was cited for “following too close”; Stubbs stated at the time she could not see the truck slowing down due to a large cloud of gravel dust.
“I just wanted to speak out and clear some stuff up,” Stubbs said. “At the time, I didn’t know the prescription I was on would affect the (alcohol) test. I found out later because I was just so confused about what was going on. I hadn’t had anything to drink and I didn’t understand why I was having a problem with the test.”
Stubbs said she had a couple of drinks the night before but nothing to drink that day, so she searched the web to see if her prescription had anything to do with the BAC test results.
She said she found an article called “Every Drink Spiked,” and found that citalopram “can affect the test.”
Stubbs said that after reading the article, she came away with the understanding that, “when you’re on the medication, any drink you have, it … makes it seem like (BAC) doubles, and then it stays in your system twice as long.”
“So even though you don’t feel like its in your system, it still is,” she said.
When this reporter searched “Every Drink Spikes” and “citalopram,” he found an article of the same name at Davidhealy.org talking about another antidepressant, Cymbalta, and readers comments talked about side effects of citalopram.
After seeing comments on the West Branch Times Facebook page about other things that could affect alcohol tests, further research showed her that canker sore medication could also contribute to higher readings. Canker sore medications like Anbesol have 70 percent alcohol yet are only applied to the skin and not consumed.
Stubbs said she did not feel unfit to drive while taking the medications.
“So the night before, I had a couple of drinks … and wasn’t drunk or anything, then the next day, fine, no problem — no headache or anything. But since (citalopram) keeps it in your system for so much longer, that was it was getting,” she said.
She said she provided the school district with the information she found online as well as results from tests at the hospital after the crash.
“I didn’t feel like I had been drinking or anything like that, so why would you think you’d have a problem with it?” she said.
Stubbs said she has not been allowed to drive a West Branch bus since the accident.
The accident took place about 3:45 p.m. May 19 in the 2000 block of Delta Avenue near 310th Street. Lance A. Schiele, 43, of West Liberty was driving a semi-tractor trailer southbound and was slowing down to turn left into a farm drive. Stubbs was taking children home and following Schiele’s truck when the two vehicles collided.
There were 19 children on board who only received minor bumps and bruises.
At the June 13 meeting of the Board of Education, Hatfield said he wanted to “express my sincere thanks to our emergency responders, as well as to (Hoover Elementary Principal) Mrs. (Jess) Burger, (elementary counselor) Mrs. (Emily) Rickertsen and (school nurse) Mrs. (Traci) Fryauf for their help and support at the scene of the bus accident.”
“We are truly grateful that no one was seriously injured. (We know there were many bruises and scratches.) I witnessed first-hand the amazing support and work of so many dedicated people,” Hatfield wrote in a memo to the school board. “Accidents of this nature often require extended investigation. That is the case with this situation. Thank you!”
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