WHNT: (HS) School Bus Flips Off I-565. (Four Dead)

[Roland99]

http://whnt.com/Global/story.asp?S=5707284

NewsChannel 19 is following a developing story, involving a school bus from Lee High School that flipped off I-565, below onto Church Street.

Huntsville Police have confirmed to NewsChannel 19 that four students died.

The bus was on its daily route to the Huntsville Center for Technology on Drake Avenue, when it flipped off the Interstate. More than 30 students were on board. A number of them were critically hurt. NewsChannel 19 is trying to confirm how many students, if any, were killed.

...

Parents at the scene tell NewsChannel 19 crews their children called them from cell phones as soon as the bus hit the ground, and they rushed to the scene.

I'm sure this will renew the debate on adding seat belts to school buses (not a bad idea, imo). Kids know how to use them.

[Warpy]

1. I don't think seat belts would have accomplished much

in a 20 foot fall from an interstate overpass.

This is sad.

[Roland99]

5. If it would keep kids in their seats vs. having them fly around the inside...

I'm sure it would make a HELLUVA difference.

I nailed a rock wall nearly head-on going about 35-40mph and only got a bruise on my thumb from the airbag deploying (well, some back/neck pain from the whiplash) but I got up and walked away w/o a scratch.

A 20' fall wouldn't be much different.

[Maddy McCall]

15. If the bus landed upside down...

a seatbelt would have prevented spinal injuries that would have occurred from children landing on their heads when the bus slammed into the ground.

I can't think of an instance in which seatbelts on buses wouldn't save lives--except for the old cliched "what if it drives off into a big body of water?" excuse that seatbelt opponents always cite.

[savemefromdumbya]

20. Also problem if bus catches fire

[TrogL]

31. A conscious student has a better chance

of evading a fire than one with his head bashed in by hitting the ceiling, even if he's hanging upside down in his seat belt.

[Maddy McCall]

8. This is a very odd wreck, as far as schoolbus wrecks go....

But there have been many many schoolbus wrecks in which seatbelts would have saved lives or prevented injuries.

We have had a glut of schoolbus wrecks in Mississippi. Why?

DRIVERS ARE DRIVING TOO FAST.

They don't take into account the road conditions. I've been behind schoolbuses on my commute to work that were traveling in excess of 70 MPH on a 55 MPH highway. I've seen some go into curves without so much as tapping the brake.

It's like they want to pick up the kids and dump them at school as quick as they can.

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. Well they have cut routes back and have fewer drivers

driving more routes for more schools. Not that this excuses speeding or carelessness. But one of our drivers last year told me she couldn't possibly finish her route in time without speeding.

[Maddy McCall]

12. In Mississippi?

It must be peculiar to the school system in which your friend works, because none of the three districts in this county have made cutbacks in drivers.

[proud2BlibKansan]

16. No here in KC

but school districts everywhere are having to make cuts in spending. Can't leave no kid untested you know.

But like I said, that is still no excuse to drive too fast and endanger the kids.

[Warpy]

19. Jeez, wouldn't YOU?

Seat belts would be a great benefit to school bus drivers if only because they'd keep the little darlings in their seats. That alone would probably cut down on the speeding.

I cringe at some of the memories I have of riding a school bus and realize now why the drivers were always such grumps.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Huntsville where?

Alabama? I have relatives there with high school aged kids.

Man it drives me nuts when the local news channels don't identify what city they are in anywhere on their website.

[Roland99]

6. Don't know of any other Huntsvilles that would have TV stations

and the article mentions the Alabama Transportation dept.

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. Thank you

I am a bit frantic - worried about my family.

[Roland99]

10. *crossing fingers*...

:scared:

[uppityperson]

18. I hope they are ok, sending good wishes to all

[phatkatt]

14. Yes, Alabama.

The bus was from Lee High School.

[uppityperson]

3. hoping the best for Alabamanians and condolences to those killed or hurt

[CottonBear]

4. Huntsville, AL. This is awful. More than 30 critical, 4 dead.

There is a live video link at the top of the web site. http://whnt.com/Global/story.asp?S=5707284

:(

[uppityperson]

7. More than 30 hurt, manycritical

[Maddy McCall]

13. I am glad the kids had cell phones and were able to contact parents.

If my kid had been on that bus, I'd have been there immediately, which is necessary if the child is to receive care for his or her injuries as soon as possible. (Consent to treat; decisions about treatment. No form signed at the beginning of the school year can do what a parent on site can do.)

[nealmhughes]

26. The hospital reports that all have been ID'ed except for two positively.

The parents are gathering at Huntsville Hospital right now.

Everyone in the city knows this is happening as well as the Metro.

[flamingyouth]

17. How horrible

My thoughts are with the victims and their families. :(

[mcscajun]

21. This is dreadful. My heart aches for all involved.

And I certainly hope this finally brings seat belts to all school buses. This is long, long overdue. Let's simplify the debate: Seat belts aren't a panacea; injuries (and perhaps even deaths) are going to occur, but if everyone has to remain seat-belted while in airplanes on the ground, shouldn't children have to wear seat belts on a bus? It's the risk-reduction factor, plain and simple.

[catabryna]

22. The problem with seat belts on school buses...

is the liability issue. Depending on how this would be accomplished, the bus driver or school district could be responsible for kids who undo their belts. If they had it set up with some sort of sensor in each seat and the bus driver had a panel in the front and could pinpoint what kid, in whatever seat, that might work. But, then, you have the problem of kids just being kids and wanting to yank the driver's chain. I can just see a school bus pulled over on the side of the road while a bus driver tries to cajole an 8th grader to buckle his belt so he or she can get the other 59 kids home. I don't think anyone has a fundamental problem with seat belts in school buses... but, it can be a logistical nightmare.

[treestar]

29. Maybe there could be a law of immunity as to any suits with such

a subject.

It would also raise contributory negligence questions, if another student testified that the kid didn't have a belt on.

In the long run it may not make much difference, though, because liability is going to be tough to avoid. All the adult drivers are on notice that this is a vehicle full of kids, including the bus driver, so any impact with another vehicle is going to result in liability to somebody - the school or the other driver or other force. So it will end up as arguments between insurance companies.

[proud2BlibKansan]

32. 95% of the kids would keep them on

Sorry but I am sick of policies created or not created because a few won't follow the rule. Seatbelts will keep kids in their seats and will keep them safer. It is a no-brainer. It is also absolutely ridiculous that kids cannot ride in cars without a seat belt (in this state, they can't even ride in the front seat) yet they are not belted in on a school bus.

And rather than a logistical issue, it is about $$$$$$. It would be expensive to put seat belts on every bus in the country. I think our kids and their safety is worth it but since children are not valued in this country, I guess most people would rather save the money and not belt in their kids on the bus.

[catabryna]

36. I'm not arguing that it's not about money...

because it most definitely is. And, I totally agree that belts are a safety issue and as I said, I don't think anyone, including myself, has a problem with seat belts on school buses. I have a special needs child who uses a five-point car seat in a school bus. At the same time, my mother was a school bus driver for about 12 years, and I remember riding the bus. Most kids would belt themselves in for the long haul but, there is always going to be a smart aleck kid on the bus who is going to refuse to put on their belt or take it off after the bus driver has done his/her walk through. It's important to remember that a school district that spends $1M settling the lawsuit filed by little Johnny's family when he broke his leg after standing up on the school bus at the same time that the bus driver had to slam on the brakes to avoid an accident, is $1M less our kids have for the classroom. That's a concern to me and I don't believe it's a reflection of how I value kids in our society; I do have one, afterall.

[vajraroshana]

23. Two dead, not four as initially reported

They're now reporting only two confirmed dead and not four. The bus driver survived, but is as yet not able to explain what happened.

WHNT is interviewing a student who said that the a car cut them off and the bus swerved to miss, but hit a car then slid and was suspended over the side before it fell. "It was like in slow motion".

[nealmhughes]

24. This live on air in Huntsville right now at 1 pm CST:

2 confirmed dead, not 4.

7 critical.

23 hospitalized.

All taken to Huntsville Hospital, but helicopters were seen landing and taking off from the roof. Others have been triaged and moved to other local hospitals.

I would assume that the helo-ed patients were sent to Chattanooga or Bham or Nahville due to the rapid influx at the trauma center at Huntsville Hospital which is a major trauma center in its own right. Perhaps some were sent to Athens or Florence for less threatening injuries.

The bus came off I-565 and went over a cement guard rail onto the surface street (Church Street) downtown and fell about 30 feet.

It was Lee High students coming back from the Tech Center morning classes there to their academic classes at Lee. Downtown medical district is closed for street traffic, as is I-565 from Memorial Parkway to further west in the Westbound direction.

There is footage on all the Huntsville TV channels, WHNT, WAFF and the ABC affiliate.

[nealmhughes]

25. Update.

Two are dead. The names were just released. There is a witness according to the police and that a car either sideswiped or nearly sideswiped the bus. It happened at 10:10am and they were headed to the Tech Center.

The helos were not used for sending them forward, as 2 trauma surgeons and a neurosurgeon were at the emergency room. They were other trauma calls.

The victims were 18 and 17 and both girls.

The non-critical students were taken to HH and to Crestwood and HH East, so they are all in the city.

Major crimes in Huntsville PD is investigating right now and has an eye witness.

Two kids are in surgery in critical condition right now.

[Maddy McCall]

30. Please keep us updated.

Thanks so much for this.

[krispos42]

27. CNN now reporting 2 dead

All survivors, including the driver, have been brought to the hospital.

I'd really like to know what caused the bus to swerve like that. If some other car drove the bus off the bridge, I hope the police are hunting him down now.



http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/11/20/bus.crash/index.html

[CottonBear]

28. See post 25: a car sideswiped the bus according to a witness. n/t

[Roland99]

33. A 3rd has died of injuries at the hospital

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/11/20/D8LH16PO1.html


:(

[Maddy McCall]

34. Terrible.

[lithiumbomb]

35. driver's education

Admittedly I'm going on little info here. But... this is a school bus, it's a large, heavy vehicle. Being side swiped by a compact car alone should not cause it to careen off of a bridge. I bet the car hit the bus, or something of the sort happened, and the bus driver swerved to avoid the car either before or after hitting it, driving off of the bridge. All the time I hear of vehicles violently swerving to avoid a car, object, or animal, and have a much more horrible wreck than if they'd simply plowed into whatever they were trying to avoid. However it's instinct to avoid hitting something, that's hard to overcome.

This of course may not be what happened here at all. Just one scenario.

[RamboLiberal]

37. 4th student has died

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/11/21/bus.crash/index.html

A fourth teenage girl died Tuesday at a hospital from injuries sustained when a school bus plunged off a highway overpass Monday in Alabama, Huntsville Police Chief Rex Reynolds said.

She was identified as Crystal Renee McCrary, 17. The three others killed were Christine Collier, 18; Nicole Ford, 17; and Tanesha Hill, age unknown. Collier and Ford both died at the scene Monday, while Hill died hours later at Huntsville Hospital.

Fourteen students and the bus driver remain hospitalized, including at least three in critical condition.

I think school buses should have seat belts. This was a horrific crash but from viewing the buses damage I suspect at least some of the students killed would've survived if belted in.

Another thing that I've often thought as I've driven on overpasses and bridges and that is IMHO the side barriers are too low. I've often thought how easy it would be for a vehicle to go over one of these barriers if they collided with them and rode up on top of them. I've seen a a number of accidents on the news where trucks have dangled on and gone over these barriers. IMHO the barriers on a bridge/overpass should be a couple of feet higher to not allow vehicles to go over the barrier.