A school bus crashed into a house in Deerfield Beach on Wednesday morning.
The school bus, which had no students aboard, plowed through a fence and crashed into a home at 71 NE Seventh Ave.
According to the Broward Sheriff's Office, bus driver Vincent Adolphus Robinson, 64, of Tamarac, dropped off the children at Deerfield Beach Elementary School, about a block away from the crash scene. BSO said that as he pulled out of the driveway, Robinson said he "had no brakes and panicked, then pumped the brakes."
The bus barreled through an eight-inch cement wall, throwing heavy debris everywhere, knocking down trees and plants, and then crashed into the back of a house. The driver had to use the emergency exit to get out.
The Broward County School Board said the bus driver was checked and had no serious injuries.
Resident Jacqueline Castro woke up to find a school bus in her back yard.
"I am just thankful -- I thank God -- it didn't hit this part of the house. I would have been in real big trouble," Castro said.
The bus stopped short of taking out Castro's exercise bike, but pieces of her roof are now where children normally sit on the bus.
"Oh my God, the first thing I thought was, 'Are there children on that bus?'" Castro said.
The driver did not want to comment.
"The driver was dazed. I asked him if he was OK, and he said he was," said neighbor Michael Russ.
"I had damage when (Hurricane) Wilma hit. I had such a mess. Here it is again," Castro said.
Castro plans to stay with a friend as firefighters say her house is not safe to live in.
The Broward Sheriff's Office said the bus driver was cited for careless driving and for failure to use due care.