A Dudley, Massachusetts, school bus driver accused of an OUI had allegedly been drunk on the job before.
"He was hitting curbs, stumbling through the bus yard, slurred speech. There were a lot of things," a source told FOX25.
Last week, police said Scott Poirier crashed a school bus with children onboard into a utility pole in Dudley; officers said when they arrived, Poirier was visibly intoxicated. His BAC was at .157, nearly twice the legal limit for a regular driver and four times the legal limit for a bus driver, according to court documents.
FOX25 uncovered new concerns that it wasn't the first time the driver was drunk while behind the wheel; police said they have received multiple reports and concerns about prior incidents since the crash.
"We are looking into the drivers' activities before, during and after the incident as it relates to the offense. We are certainly open to anyone who may have information to add, and we will be in contact with the involved agencies if the situation warrants," said Dudley Police Chief Steven Wojnar.
One employee of the bus company First Student, which contracts with Dudley School District, said people spoke up previously about the driver being drunk, worried he was dangerous. However, the employee said they believe First Student didn't do anything about the concerns.
"They have children on these buses; they need to keep them safe. That's their number one goal, and I don't think they have been doing this," said the First Student employee.
First Student refutes the allegations and said in a statement, "We have not received any drinking and driving reports about the driver. We have a zero tolerance for that behavior. We have initiated the termination process for him. Because this is an ongoing investigation, we cannot comment further on the case."
FOX25 tried to contact Poirier, but when Robert Goulston called his home, a man hung up after answering.
The First Student employee said they decided to share their concerns in hopes of changing procedure.
"They need to make better rules so that when someone reports something, they need to report it to the police station, not just take it into their own hands," said the employee.
FOX25 also reached out to the school district to see if it had ever received any reports about Poirier, but hasn't heard back.
About the Author
