ASHLAND — Ashland Public Transit lost one of its buses last month when its driver totaled it. It’s being replaced, but the driver — one with prior traffic infractions on his record — is still on the road.
Willam R. Morgan, 72, of Nova, was cited for a Feb. 9 crash that injured two, according to a crash report completed by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Morgan was injured, along with one of the seven passengers in the bus. Morgan’s injuries consisted of bruising from the seatbelt and one passenger’s ankle was injured in the collision, according to Ashland Mayor Matt Miller.
Passengers in the bus were teenagers, the OSHP crash report showed.
The three-vehicle crash happened at the intersection of U.S. Route 30 and State Route 511 in Vermillion Township. According to the report, Morgan was driving southbound on 511 and crossed U.S. 30 and collided with with a vehicle that was eastbound on the divided highway.
The impact caused the bus to collide with another vehicle that was stopped at the intersection, the patrol said.
Each vehicle received “disabling damage,” according to the report. No one received serious injuries.
Morgan was charged in Ashland Municipal Court with failure to yield. He pleaded guilty and paid $163 in fines and court costs, according to court records.
He was out on medical leave until earlier this week, city officials have said.
Liz McClurg, the city’s transit coordinator, said she and the city’s human resources office is “working on a formal follow up” regarding discipline in line with the city’s contract with workers represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
Not the first time
Morgan’s incident in February isn’t the first on his record. The city hired him in June 2019.
Court records show he was cited for speeding and failing to stop in 2007. He was cited for driving 12 mph over the 35-mph limit in 2013. In both incidents, he pleaded guilty and paid fines and court costs.
In July 2022, while driving a bus for the city, Morgan was cited for operating a motor vehicle without proper control. Again, he admitted guilt and paid the $163 fine and court costs.
Ashland Human Resources Director Chad Enderby said Morgan received a written reprimand for the citation. McClurg said Morgan was retrained before returning to work.
His personnel file with the city did not reflect the written reprimand. Enderby pointed to the city’s most current contract with AFSCME that states “any and all discipline shall cease to have effect” after 12, 24 or 36 months.
If city workers receive oral or written reprimands, that discipline disappears from the record after 12 months, Enderby said. For suspensions up to three days, it disappears after 24 months and suspensions that last more than three days have a 36-month shelf life.
Because Morgan received a written reprimand, Enderby said, the record of that discipline was “purged” after a year.
What’s the city’s vetting process for hiring new drivers?
McClurg said all transit department hires undergo a vetting process established by the Ohio Transit Risk Pool (OTRP). It uses a software program designed by Embark Safety that pulls public reports to create a color-coded review.
“It shows green, yellow or red,” she said. Green means the prospective employee is clear to hire. A yellow triggers a “warning stage” and red means the person is not hirable, McClurg said.
When Morgan applied back in 2019, the report came back green, said McClurg, despite the two speeding violations on his record with Ashland Municipal Court.
It’s unclear how far back Embark Safety goes to pull data to create its color-coded assessment, but points on operators’ licenses expire after two years, according to state law.
Once the assessment is reviewed by McClurg, the city’s HR office sends the color-coded assessment to an insurance agency to determine if the person is insurable.
Once Morgan was found to be insurable, McClurg said he underwent Ohio Department of Transportation training.
“And then (the city) does training on top of that,” she said.
The training, according to his personnel file with the city, included training from the Rural Transit Assistance Program, Stop the Bleed and DRIVE, a course aimed at transporting older and disabled people.
Morgan’s resume includes experience driving trucks and forklifts. He also served in the U.S. Army.
New bus on order
It’s unclear, at this point, what kind of discipline Morgan will receive for the Feb. 9 incident and when that discipline will be delivered.
In the meantime, the transit department could receive a new bus to replace the one Morgan totaled. McClurg said the city could have it in the next few weeks because city council unanimously approved the purchase on Tuesday.
The vehicle, a 13-seater bus equipped with a wheelchair lift, costs $88,900. The cost is likely to increase once it receives city branding.
McClurg said the city’s insurance through the OTRP covered the cost of the new bus.
The 2019 Ford E-450 bus has 18,000 miles on it, said Larry Paxton, the city’s finance director. He said a brand new bus would likely be in the $120,000 range and the wait time would be around 16 months.
“It was a leased vehicle. The lease expired and they turned it back in,” he said.