By Associated Press
Huntsville, AL – An official from the National Transportation Safety Board said Monday night that a malfunction in the steering system of a car involved in the devastating school bus crash last week in Huntsville may have contributed to the accident. Gary Van Etten, the investigator in charge for the NTSB, said the 1990 Toyota Celica that hit the bus taking Lee High school students to technical school classes may have had a mechanical problem. Police also said yesterday that the 17-year-old driver of the car, also a Lee High student, has received death threats. The teen's name is NOT being released while the investigation is under way, but his parents have taken precautions to protect him. A fourth Lee High School student, 17-year-old Crystalle Renee McCrary, was laid to rest yesterday. Three others students were also killed when the school bus plunged off an I-565 overpass and fell nearly 30-feet to the street below. Services were held for them Friday and Saturday. Two students, and the bus driver, Anthony Scott, remain hospitalized. Van Etten said Scott was ejected from the bus before it went over the edge of the overpass.