NTSB: Car cited in school bus crash

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The National Transportation Safety Board has ruled that a passing car that went out of control forced a Huntsville school bus to plunge from an overpass, killing four students in a wreck that led to new rules for school bus safety.

The NTSB report Thursday also said the bus driver was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected when it struck the overpass wall. With no one at the wheel or able to hit the brakes, the bus careened down the wall, then nose-dived 30 feet to pavement below.

The wreck in November 2006 killed four Lee High School students. It led the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to mandate design changes for certain school buses to protect children on them.

Killed were 16-year-old Christine Collier; 17-year-old Tanesha Estella Hill; 17-year-old Crystal McCrary; and 19-year-old Nicole Ford.