School bus driver cited in Friday's officer-involved crash
A bus driver with the Muscogee County School district was cited in the Friday morning crash that injured a Columbus Motor Squad officer, according to a report.
Kenneth Canup was charged with one count of improper left turn failure to yield in connection to the 8:44 a.m. motorcycle crash on Whitesville Road. He is set to appear in Recorder’s Court Dec. 2 at 9 a.m.
In the report, Columbus Police said one of its officers was traveling south on Whitesville Road, about 400 feet north of Double Churches Road. During that time, there was a school bus headed north on Whitesville Road in the center turning lane, police stated.
Officials said 74-year-old Canup was in the process of turning left into the Double Churches Elementary School parking lot when he encroached into the southbound lane by about 3 to 5 feet. The bus driver said he started to make the left turn but stopped when he noticed the officer approaching with flashing blue lights, according to the report.
Authorities said the officer, who sounded his sirens and flashed his blue lights, attempted to “swerve around the encroaching bus to the right.” Police said the two vehicles didn't collide, but the officer lost control of his motorcycle.
Reports indicate that he struck the curb on the west side of the roadway, and the impact threw him from the vehicle and into a wooden fence nearby. The motorcycle rolled over and collided into the chain link fence surrounding the Liberty Utilities, police added.
The officer was transported to Midtown Medical Center to be treated for non-life threatening injuries. His current condition wasn’t immediately available, but Maj. J.D. Hawk said Friday that he should be fine.
Canup wasn’t harmed and neither were any children in the area.
— Sarah is a crime and safety reporter at The Ledger-Enquirer. You can contact her on Twitter at @SarahR_92.
This story was originally published November 2, 2015 at 4:20 PM with the headline "School bus driver cited in Friday's officer-involved crash ."