Man Crashes Into Bus While Allegedly On His Cell Phone

19-year-old Tyler Moses of Longville is accused of texting while driving as he crashed into a school bus in Calcasieu Parish Monday morning. State Police spokesman Sergeant James Anderson says the accident sent Moses, as well as one of the children on the bus, to the hospital with minor injuries.

The accident happened in the community of Gillis. Sgt. Anderson says Moses was driving a Ram pickup truck south on U.S. Highway 171 north of Joe Miller Road in the left lane when he crashed into a Calcasieu Parish school bus that was stopped in the right lane with its red warning lights on and its stop signs deployed to pick up children. Sgt. Anderson says Moses braked hard from the left lane to avoid vehicles and steered into the rear of the bus.

Officers suspect Moses' use of his cell phone to be a factor in the crash. Moses was charged with careless operation, texting while driving, and failure to stop for a school bus.

Texting while driving in Louisiana carries a fine of up to $175 for a first offense and up to $500 for a second or subsequent offense.  The fine is doubled if a crash results.