This past Thursday, Randi Benton, Mary Braxton and a whole gaggle of children combined a trip to the Columbia Zoo with driving the new bus back home! Thank you, ladies. For those who might not have known, both of our buses were involved in a horrific accident right in our own parking lot. A young man travelling at an estimated 112 mph lost control of his car and crashed through the JIBC parking lot taking out both buses. The new 14 passenger bus was less than a week old and had only been driven twice. The two buses were parked over 200 feet from each other but the excessive speed took the car the entire length of our parking lot. Tragically, the young man lost his life in this horrific accident.
Well, the new bus is back and has already been used in ministry. I drove it Sunday to pick up 12 patients from the Charleston Rehab Center. The bus looks fantastic and as far as I can tell, there is no evidence it had ever been involved in an accident. It will be a welcomed ministry tool at JIBC. The big bus, our older bus, is still on the operating room table. It was a little more difficult to find all the parts for the older bus. We are looking forward to getting it back as well. It seats 39 people. Our senior adult Joy Club has ridden that bus all over South Carolina enjoying great times together. We look forward to many more trips to come.
We are always looking for drivers for the buses. The big bus requires a CDL. I like that it requires some effort. You have to pass a written test, a driving test and then also have a DOT physical. Those are good things. The small bus does not require a CDL but requires everything right up to having a CDL. You must still do the complete bus inspection and record it before each trip and you must also have a DOT physical. Again, I like that. We want to make sure our drivers are fit to drive and do not have problems with seizures, disorders or other issues that would put passengers at risk.
How will we protect the buses, our buildings and our people from future wrecks at the 5 Points curve? The DOT says there is nothing wrong with the curve. The problem is excessive speed combined with alcohol and/or drugs. That does not help much. Just last week a motorcycle crashed onto our property from that curve. Geesh! Our leadership is considering what options we have and will report soon on possible protective solutions.
Until then…the new bus is back! Our thanks to Pastor Claudio for the use of the Hispanic Van and to Randi Benton for going to pick the van up from North Charleston every Sunday. Did I mention how happy I am that the new bus is back?
Pastor Tom
