Bus owner fails to give insurance details

THE owner of the Clara school bus that crashed claiming the life of a teenage boy earlier this month has failed to produce any evidence to show that the vehicle was insured.

Ray McKeown had told gardaí he would produce his insurance certificate within the required 10 days of the crash that occurred on Wednesday April 4 last.

It was learned yesterday, however, that he has failed to produce any evidence to show he was insured.

The bus, which was carrying pupils to Killina Presentation Secondary School, overturned between Rahan and Clara in Co Offaly.

The bus spun around, overturned and ended up on its roof partly in a ditch. The back axle lay in the ditch on the other side of the road.

Michael White, aged 15, the only son of local publican Michael White and his wife, Martina, was killed and 34 students were injured in the incident.

It has also been learned that the driver of the bus, Ger Butler, has handed a provisional licence to gardaí investigating the accident.

Bus drivers with a provisional licence must be accompanied by and under the supervision of someone with a current full driving licence to drive the vehicle.