Now
Fair
52°
High
51°
Low
29°
Full Forecast

Jobs

Cars

Homes

Rentals

Alerts

Subscribe
Home > News > Local
Bookmark Us   •   Make Us Your Homepage

Driver gets $50 fine after I-80 van rollover

Comments 13 comment(s)  
E-mail Story E-mail Story
Print Story Print Story
Share  Share
Text Size: 
Tools Sponsor

By the Lincoln Journal Star

Wednesday, Sep 26, 2007 - 12:14:00 pm CDT

The Omaha man at the wheel of a church van that wrecked along Interstate 80 in April, injuring all 18 students aboard, pleaded guilty Wednesday to two charges for the accident.

Peter Bur had been accused of failure to restrain children in a vehicle, no proof of insurance and no valid registration.

The Lancaster County Attorney’s Office dismissed the no proof of insurance charge Wednesday, and Bur pleaded guilty to the other two charges. Judge Laurie Yardley sentenced him to pay a $25 fine on each, plus costs.

Story Photo
The van involved in the crash. (LJS File)

According to the Nebraska State Patrol, the church van he was driving blew a tire, careened and cartwheeled into the ditch on Interstate 80 west of Lincoln on April 29.

The van was filled with 18 members of a Sudanese children’s choir, ages 8 to 14, on the way home from performances in churches in Shickley and Hebron. Sixteen girls, two boys and two adults were hospitalized after the accident, three in critical condition.


$1 Sunday Delivery - Subscribe Today!
Local > Back to Top of Story

Post Your Comment

Standards and Rules
All posts to JournalStar.com are subject to our Terms and Standards.
Your posted comment will appear after it has been approved.
Frequently asked questions about story commenting.
(optional)
   
Hide Comments Hide Comments   Newest First Newest First  
What's Wrong wrote on September 26, 2007 12:53 pm:
" Please tell me I read this wrong -- surely the fines were $25 for EACH of the 18 children not in safety seats or a total $450. Please, Judge Yardley, tell us that this was the largest fine possible for the offenses. Why didn't the County Attorney also file a charge of Child Endangerment or Child Abuse in this case? "

 ... wrote on September 26, 2007 2:35 pm:
" That's a bunch of crap..i got two days in jail for no proof of insurance "

 Not Fair wrote on September 26, 2007 3:55 pm:
" I can get a higher fine for littering. "

 Deann wrote on September 26, 2007 6:13 pm:
" I am sorry, but this is insane!! I think the only cheaper ticket there is, is a $10 parking ticket. WHY was it only $50??????? He had a least 3 violations. Should have totalled up to more than that. I know I wouldn't have been so lucky!!! "

 CPS Tech wrote on September 26, 2007 7:27 pm:
" As a certified child passenger safety technician, I've always been appaled that Nebraska's car seat/child seat belt law carries only a $25 fine--and it is for the entire vehicle: the law specifically says you can't charge for each unrestrained child! Let's see, shoot a deer out of season, $750 fine/damages. Unrestrained child? $25! Wow, Nebraska's deer are more valuable than our children! "

 Dan wrote on September 26, 2007 8:01 pm:
" I think under the circumstances of this accident it was apparent that the driver did not mean to cause the accident or have any knowledge of the safety requirements for that van. This was a church van that was involved and churches really have no regulation like schools. And it is apparent that the law respects in the process of people trying to do something religious and good that the law will look away during these time. This is why the seperation of church and state is a joke and will NEVER be abided by our politicians. Our country is in peril. "

 Sorry Dan, but wrote on September 26, 2007 10:57 pm:
" "did not have...knowledge of the safety requirements for that van." Are you serious? Does the guy have a driver's license? Did he read the driver's manual? Did he pass the driver's test? Has he ever seen one of the bazillion "buckle up" signs posted all over our state? Why would he think they didn't apply to a van? The guy may have been doing a good deed, and something great for his church, but that doesn't absolve him of a basic responsibility to protect the children he was transporting. "

 Gardians wrote on September 27, 2007 12:20 pm:
" The two "gardians" of the children are the ones that should be charged with child endangerment. They are the ones that had the responsibility of keeping these children safe. They made the choice to allow children to not be restrained. Why aren't they charged? I know that if I put my child under their watch and they disregarded safety, I would hold them personally liable. "

 Tired of Whining wrote on September 27, 2007 12:36 pm:
" "I think under the circumstances of this accident it was apparent that the driver did not... have any knowledge of the safety requirements for that van." Hey, Dan. Ignornace of the law is not a defense of the law. It is the responsibility of the citizen to know the laws and regulations of the activity they are participating in. Besides, how can anyone with a liscence in this state not know that they need to liscence their vehicle and use restraining devices for children? Lets stop making excuses for those that endanger others. "

 ??? wrote on September 27, 2007 1:53 pm:
" I agree, give this guy the chair because he squeezed a few more kids in the van then available seatbelts – along with all the soccer moms every day. And yes – the reason the maximum fine for an unrestrained child is 25$ is because of the religious affiliation that it implies???? "

 russ wrote on September 27, 2007 3:43 pm:
" I think he's learned enough of a lesson. Let it go. "

 Kristine wrote on September 27, 2007 4:11 pm:
" He blew a tire, for the love of Pete. And I hear 'give him the chair'?? Kills me. You want to lynch this guy, driving a church van---you don't know the circumstances--maybe he got roped into it for some bizarre reason. The vehicle didn't have the registration and/or insurance IN it--that's not his fault so much, it's the organization that maintains the vehicle. It was an accident. A traffic accident. The rules are the same for all of us, and these things can also happen to any of us. Chill. "

 Interesting to me....... wrote on September 28, 2007 6:30 am:
" That we have LAWS...that's right LAWS....for people in this type of vehicle to wear a seat belt. It is the DRIVERS responsibility to see to it that this law is followed. There should have been a stiffer fine here. And, perhaps, a suspended license for a while. After all, some of these people were in CRITICAL condition after this accident. I think that this fine is a slap-in-the-face to the families that were seriously injured. "

Ads by Yahoo!