Maximum bond set for driver in crash that left one dead and student injured

LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. (WACH) — On Tuesday, Giovani Mendoza Jimenez was given bond after crashing his work truck into a motorcyclist and school bus on Monday.

The crash resulted in the death of 45-year-old Jon Douglas Ratcliffe.

Jimenez is charged with driving without a license, traveling at a speed greater than reasonable, and failing to stop when approaching a school bus.

During his bond hearing, he was given the maximum bond allowed, $1,527.

READ MORE | One dead, one arrested, student injured in Lexington bus crash

He testified that he is an electrician and said that he has been here illegally for six years, in South Carolina for three.

Jimenez is set to appear in court on June 5, in Lexington County.

During the investigation, officers found that a Lexington One School bus stopped with a motorcycle behind it.

Jimenez did not appear to see the vehicles in front of him and hit the motorcycle first, pinning Ratcliffe between the van and the bus.

Seven students were on the bus, one was injured with a cut on his arm and taken to a local hospital by EMS.

Jimenez was also taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.

Ratcliffe died at the scene due to his injuries.