(WBIR - Knoxville) Knoxville police blame a school bus driver texting for the deadly December 2014 crash that killed two students and a teacher's aide.
The results of a six-month comprehensive investigation by the Knoxville Police Department into the cause of the deadly collision between two Knox County school buses were released Friday.
KPD said 48-year-old James Davenport was driving while distracted, due to sending and receiving text messages, while driving Bus No. 44. He made a sharp left turn, crossed a concrete median, and crashed into another school bus on Asheville Highway near Governor John Sevier Highway.
The investigation revealed Davenport sent and received multiple text messages during the time leading up to the crash.
KPD said, "The investigators were committed to finding the cause of the crash whether it be from human error, a mechanical issue, weather related or a combination of factors."
The investigation included numerous interviews, evidence analysis, and bus crash experts.
As the investigation neared conclusion, KPD learned of Davenport's death.
Davenport suffered severe injuries during the crash. The 48-year-old died June 1, 2015, at the home he shared with his mother on Maynardville Pike in South Knoxville.
Officials are awaiting autopsy results from the medical examiner before announcing the cause of death. The preliminary report listed a "natural death" for Davenport. If Davenport's death is deemed to have directly result of injuries sustained in the December crash, the accident report could be updated to list four fatalities.
