SCHOOL BUS CRASH REPORTS 2006

Seat Belts Prove Helpful In School Bus Accident
March 20, 2006

CONVOY — A school bus accident Monday morning could have been much worse if the passengers had not been wearing seat belts, officials said.

Fifteen passengers, including nine preschool children, were taken to Van Wert County Hospital, but only with minor injuries. Trooper Michael Dirr of the Van Wert post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol said the seat belts made the difference.

“Everybody was buckled in,” he said, adding that more serious injuries would be likely without the seat belts.

The passengers were Van Wert County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities children and adults on the way to the Thomas Edison Training Center.

School Superintendent Jim Stripe said he makes sure the buses have seat belts, even though it is not required by law.

“We feel that is a safety feature that is important for us,” he said.

The crash occurred at 8:50 a.m. on Tully-Harrison Road, just west of Lincoln Highway near the village of Convoy. The accident, first reported on LimaOhio.com before 10 a.m. Monday, happened when school bus driver Susan Miller, 51, of Van Wert, swerved to avoid a deer, went left and hit a power pole, then went right and rolled over in front of 7254 Tully-Harrison Road.

Dirr said the occupants were able to exit the bus through the rear door. Ambulances from Convoy, Van Wert, Ohio City, Middle Point and Wren, along with Delphos Emergency Medical Service and Brickner Ambulance Service, helped to transport them to the hospital.

Miller, who has been driving for the school for six years, was nearing the end of her bus route when the accident occurred. Stripe said they were taken to the hospital as a precaution, and that all were released by afternoon to their parents and guardians.

“They seemed to handle it very well,” Stripe said, adding that staff will be able to handle any problems that might come up when the children and adults return to the center today.

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