COAL TOWNSHIP - The man who crashed a school bus into a Shamokin home earlier this month is no longer driving Shamokin Area students.
The Shamokin Area School Board voted Tuesday to have Richard Startzel, 74, of 11 N. Seventh St., Shamokin, removed immediately from the approved driver list with busing contractor Marvin E. Klinger Inc.
Superintendent James Zack confirmed with the company Wednesday that Startzel has not driven a bus for the district since the Jan. 14 crash in the 600 block of Bear Valley Avenue.
No students were on the bus and no one was injured.
Startzel was driving a yellow 2010 International school bus north toward Shamokin about 6:40 a.m. en route to the Stonington area to pick up his first student when he lost control of the vehicle.
The bus struck a parked Nissan pickup truck and knocked over a tree before crashing through the exterior basement wall of 649 Bear Valley Ave. The impact also caused damage to neighboring homes at 647 and 651 Bear Valley Ave.
A natural gas line was ruptured and subsequently repaired.
The crash prompted a large response by emergency responders.
Shamokin Cpl. Bryan Primerano said at the time he did not expect to file a citation against Startzel. An online docket search showed none had been filed as of Wednesday.