Former Corbin bus driver to serve 10 days in jail for hitting street signs

A former Corbin school bus driver charged with leaving the scene of an accident in August of last year – the day he struck two street signs after he allegedly deviated from his assigned route – will have to serve 10 days in jail for the crime.

Kirk Bodenweiser, 63, of Corbin, was sentenced Tuesday to 90 days in jail, of which he will have to serve a total of 10 days.

The balance of the sentenced was conditionally discharged. Whitley District Judge Jason Price announced the sentence in District Court in Corbin and gave Bodenweiser the option to serve it on weekends or on home incarceration. Bodenweiser chose weekends. He initially pleaded guilty to the charge in early Sept. 2009 and was officially terminated from his position as driver on Aug. 28.

Bodenweiser was initially suspended on Aug. 10 after he experienced difficulty making two turns on his route in south Corbin, striking a pair of street signs on 16th Street. After hitting the second sign, with nearly 25 students still on the bus,

Bodenweiser then stopped his bus and called Corbin Transportation Director Josh VanNorstran to alert him of the situation.
VanNorstran and another driver immediately were en route to pick up the children to transport them back to Corbin Primary where their parents were notified to pick them up. No one was injured in the incident.

Corbin Schools Superintendent Ed McNeel said Bodenweiser wasn’t simply suspended from duty because of hitting the traffic signs, but also because he deviated from the prescribed route. Bodenweiser was cited for leaving the scene of an accident by Corbin Police Officer Robbie Hodge.

Prior to his most recent troubles, Bodenweiser was suspended for 10 days without pay last April after slapping an eight-year-old student who allegedly poked him in the eye. Prior to moving to Corbin, he drove a school bus for three and a half years in Florida.