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Family says StarTran driver injured after orders to operate in dangerous storm; council hears calls to give managers suspension authority
Summary
During public comment April 28, family members described a March 19 incident in which a StarTran driver was ordered to operate on Interstate routes during extreme winds and low visibility; speakers asked the city to authorize on‑the‑ground managers to suspend service in hazardous conditions.
Family members of a StarTran driver told the Lincoln City Council on April 28 that the driver was injured on March 19 after being sent to operate in a severe wind-and-snow storm and urged the city to give local transit managers authority to suspend service during dangerous weather.
Public commenters described March 19 as a day of extreme conditions: meteorologist Bill Renschler (as cited by a commenter) reported sustained winds of 20–30 mph with gusts 40–60 mph and a peak gust in Lincoln of about 74 mph. Rider and resident Hunter Dovanbarger said drivers were ordered to operate despite “wind strong enough to push a bus and extremely low visibility.” He told the council: “This continued until sunrise with the wind still being between 20 and 30 miles per hour and the strongest gust measured in Lincoln happening at around 11:08, that was 74 miles per hour.”
Ronette Dovanbarger, whose husband is a StarTran driver, described the crash and its aftermath. She said her husband’s bus was “blown across 3 lanes,” struck the median and then was sideswiped by a semi; she said his head hit the window and the glass “spider cracked from the point of impact.” She told the council supervisors were slow to respond to the scene and that the driver had to wait for assistance; medical scans did not show a concussion or broken bones, she said.
Speakers cited the municipal‑union agreement (ATU) when arguing for a clearer local chain of command. Hunter Dovanbarger referenced contract language and asked that city officials give on‑site managers (identified in public comment as CJ and Carla) explicit authority to suspend service when weather makes operation unsafe. The family said work‑time, leave and workers’ compensation issues had created financial strain for the injured driver.
The Dovanbargers and other commenters urged the council to change operational policy so that supervisors on duty can halt service when conditions are hazardous, rather than relying on more remote decision-making. They cited Article 2, Section 3 of the ATU agreement as requiring employees “operate and handle city vehicles carefully and with utmost regard to safety of passengers, public, and equipment.” One speaker asked the council to give local supervisors authority to suspend service in dangerous weather.
Ending: Council did not take an immediate policy vote during public comment. The testimony places driver safety and operational suspension authority on the public agenda for follow-up by transit management and council staff.
