The case against John Stevens, an 82-year-old former Athens school bus driver charged in connection with a fatal 2019 crash involving a train, has been dismissed. Stevens was initially charged with criminally negligent homicide following a collision that resulted in the death of 13-year-old Christopher Bonilla and critical injuries to 9-year-old Joselyne Torres.
On November 21, 2023, Stevens pleaded not guilty to charges of criminally negligent homicide and injury to a child in R. Scott McKee’s court. McKee has since dismissed the charges.
The incident occurred on January 25, 2019, when an Athens ISD school bus, driven by Stevens, was struck by a Union Pacific train in the northeast section of Athens. The crash took place near the intersection of Murchison Street, resulting in the bus becoming partially wrapped around the front of the train.
The initial investigation revealed that the bus was southbound on Cream Level Road approaching a railroad crossing. Despite initially coming to a stop, the bus proceeded across the tracks directly in front of the westbound Union Pacific train. The collision occurred, impacting the bus on its left side and causing it to become lodged on the locomotive. The train and bus traveled approximately a quarter of a mile before coming to a stop at the Murchison Street crossing.
In addition to Stevens, the bus was occupied by Joselyne Torres and Christopher Bonilla at the time of the collision. Bonilla was ejected from the bus near the Cream Level Road crossing and succumbed to his injuries. Torres, trapped inside the bus, was extricated by the Athens Fire Department and airlifted to Children’s Medical Center in Dallas in critical condition.
Stevens was found conscious and ambulatory at the final resting location of the bus and was transported to UT Health East Texas in Athens for non-life-threatening injuries.
The dismissal of the charges against Stevens concludes the legal proceedings in this case.
