SCHOOL BUS CRASH REPORTS 2006

13 Students Hurt When School Buses Collide
18 September, 2006

Thirteen students were injured Monday afternoon when two school buses from Thornton Township High School in Harvey collided in south suburban Dolton.

Two students were in serious condition in St. James Hospital and Health Centers in Olympia Fields, a nursing supervisor said.

Other students were sent to Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey, St. Francis Hospital and Health Center in Blue Island and St. Margaret Mercy in Hammond.

No one was sure what caused the crash at the intersection of 149th and State Streets, officials said. Students were on both buses.

Village spokesman Sean Howard said the accident occurred about 3:15 p.m. as the high schoolers, all between the ages of 14 and 18, were heading home.

He said the impact was severe.

"Most of the kids were in a state of shock, even those who were not seriously injured," he said. "We are lucky there were no fatalities."

He said students seated in the rear of the bus were propelled to the front, and he suggested that state officials should consider seat belts for all schoolchildren.

Howard said police are questioning both drivers and examining their previous records. They also are working on an accident reconstruction.

He said a resident recently complained that a stop sign should be installed at the intersection.

Howard said one of the buses going north while the other was traveling east, but he had few details on the crash other than that one of the vehicles suffered major damage.

School officials could not be reached, but Howard said they were on the scene 10 minutes after the accident and were integral in calming the students.

"It worked out well," he said. "They were a great assist to law enforcement."

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