14-year-old loses leg after school bus flips, family says. Bus driver charged with DUI

A 14-year-old has undergone a leg amputation weeks after his West Virginia school bus driver was accused of driving drunk and causing a rollover crash, the family shared.

The driver, 54-year-old Jeffrey Brannon, faces charges of child neglect and driving under the influence in the March 4 crash in Calhoun County, according to jail records.

Brannon was driving 19 students at the time of the crash, a Calhoun County Schools official told McClatchy News.

State troopers reported Brannon was “yelling and acting aggressive” when they arrived on the scene, according to a criminal complaint obtained by WCHS.

A preliminary breath test clocked Brannon’s blood alcohol level at .161%, or double the legal limit, according to WSAZ. Another test gave a reading of .127%, the outlet reported from the criminal complaint.

Three students were hospitalized, and more than 12 were hurt, according to WOWK.

One of the students hospitalized was 14-year-old Kevin Wilson.

The night of the incident, Wilson was rushed to a hospital and underwent emergency surgery with no pulse to his right leg, his aunt shared in a GoFundMe.

Since March 4, the teen has undergone multiple surgeries because of his wounds, blood clots and other complications, his aunt, Miranda Casto, shared in a series of Facebook posts.

“They rerouted and did another by-pass. He’s back on blood thinner,” Casto shared in a March 12 update. “(Surgeon) said he’s not sure if Kevin will get the circulation back good enough in his toes. So it’s all still touch and go.”

She shared that he played his Switch and worked on physical therapy between surgeries and trying to sleep despite the pain. But after weeks of surgeries and pain, doctors determined he needed an amputation.

“Unfortunately, his leg just is not improving at all and having additional complications,” Casto wrote on Facebook on March 19. “It’s in his best interest to have it amputated.”

The surgery went well, Casto said, but he was still yelling at night in pain.

“So desperate for Kevin to be out of pain,” she wrote on March 20.

Kevin Wilson’s aunt Meagan Casto said the experience has been confusing for the 14-year-old.

“He doesn’t understand everything going on with him,” Meagan Casto said in an interview with WOWK. “It’s scary.”

West Virginia jail records show Brannon faces charges including three counts of child neglect resulting in injury, gross neglect of child creating risk of injury or death, child neglect with serious injury and two counts of DUI causing serious injury.

“He made a conscious decision to drink and drive a busload of children,” Meagan Casto told WOWK. “He has altered all of those children’s lives forever. I don’t think he deserves to see the light of day again.”

Brannon’s attorney information is not available in jail records. Calhoun County school officials declined to comment further because the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

Calhoun County is about a 70-mile drive southwest from Charleston.

This story was originally published March 20, 2024 at 1:41 PM with the headline "14-year-old loses leg after school bus flips, family says. Bus driver charged with DUI."