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SCHOOL BUS CRASH REPORTS 2001
5 Remain In Hospitals After Bus
Accident Four people remained hospitalized Sunday after a school bus accident that claimed the lives of two Mountainburg teenagers Thursday. Sean LaRue, 14, and Bobby Huff, 15, both ninth-graders as Mountainburg School, were listed in critical condition at St. Edward Mercy Medical Center in Fort Smith Sunday evening, a nursing supervisor said. Scherrie Mackley, 8, a first-grader, was listed in good condition at Crawford Memorial Hospital in Van Buren and school bus driver Bob Denniston, 76, was reported to be stable at Sparks Regional Medical Center in Fort Smith. Elwin Rhoads III and Travis Foster, both age 15 and both ninth-graders at Mountainburg School, died Thursday after the school bus that was taking them home from school was struck by a tractor trailer at the junction of Interstate 540 and Arkansas 282 near Mountainburg. The nine students who were on the bus and the drivers of both vehicles were all injured in the crash. The driver of the tractor trailer, David Picton, 25, was treated Thursday at Crawford Memorial and released. Second-grader Cheyenne English, 8, third-grader James Jordan III, 10, and fifth-grader Tiffany Foster, 11, also were treated at Crawford Memorial and released. Seventh-grader Jarrod McDaniel, 13, was released Friday morning from Crawford Memorial. Denniston was driving the bus west on Arkansas 282 when Picton’s tractor trailer ran a stop sign at the bottom of the southbound off-ramp and crashed into the school bus about 3:20 p.m. Thursday, according to the Arkansas State Police. An ASP dispatcher said the National Transportation Safety Board and the ASP were still investigating Sunday to determine why the accident happened. Rhoads’ funeral is scheduled for 2 p.m. today at Edwards Van-Alma Funeral Home Chapel in Van Buren. Burial is scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday at Anadarko Cemetery in Anadarko, Okla. Foster’s funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday at the First Presbyterian Church in Paris, with burial following at Raney Cemetery in Paris. By John Lyon Times Record
Community Mourns Victims Travis Foster and Elwin Rhoads III, both freshmen at Mountainburg High School, died following the 3:20 p.m. accident, west of Mountainburg. Both were new to the school district. Foster enrolled in classes at Mountainburg the first week of May. Rhoads had enrolled at the beginning of the year. Counselors from five different agencies, including the school district, were brought in to help students and faculty deal with their grief, Mountainburg Superintendent James Bridges said. Some students also are dealing with the tragedy in their own way. Purple and blue ribbons dot the community. During lunch break, students were handing out yellow and white ribbons, and several posters were displayed in front of the school. One sign stated: “Please pray for our students.” Bridges said it was
difficult to tell how the majority of the district’s 230 students were
handling the tragedy because most finished class earlier this week. “We’re dealing with this as it hits us. You don’t have much of a chance to plan for it,” Bridges said. Larry G. McCain, the high school principal, said his students have struggled with their emotions throughout the day. “They (students) were having are hard time, and we started getting them into counselors as soon as possible,” he said. Looking up the school
campus where several students were setting out posters honoring their
classmates, McCain said, “This is good for them. That’s a good outlet
for them.” Debbie Atwell, principal of Mountainburg Middle School, said some students left early, but most appeared to be handling the situation as well as they could. Jarrad McDaniel, 13, among those injured in the accident, made a brief appearance at the school on Friday, Atwell said. “That really lifted everyone’s spirits,” she said. “It was hard … not to hug him when you first saw him. You didn’t want to hug a bruise.” By Terry Groover TIMES RECORD
Investigators Seek Crash Cause As family and friends of two Mountainburg teen-agers killed in a horrific crash began to pick up the pieces, three of their schoolmates and the bus driver remained in the hospital, and investigators worked to determine the crash’s cause. Nine Mountainburg students were injured when a tractor-trailer crashed into the No. 14 school bus Thursday afternoon near the junction of Arkansas 282 and Interstate 540, just outside the small Crawford County town. Elwin Rhoads III, 15, died at the scene of the accident. Travis Foster, 15, was transported to Crawford Memorial Hospital in Van Buren and died Thursday while undergoing surgery, according to school officials. Mountainburg Superintendent Jim Bridges said he visited other injured students and their families Friday. “They’ve been there since last night,” Bridges said of the parents of two injured students. He said Sean LaRue, 14, was injured in the head and chest, and Bobby Huff, 15, had suffered cuts to the face. Bridges said LaRue was unconscious at the time of Bridges’ visit. Bridges said he also visited Scherrie Mackley, 8, at Crawford Memorial Hospital in Van Buren. “She looked to be in good spirits,” Bridges said of Mackley, who was listed in good condition, although doctors were observing her for possible abdominal injury, said hospital night shift supervisor Lydia Wiechert. “Today would have been
his last trip,” Bridges said of school bus driver Bob Denniston, 76, who
is retiring after 50 years as a teacher, coach and school bus driver. “There were no skid marks that we believe came from the truck,” said Arkansas State Police Troop H Capt. Ron Lemons. Lemons said he saw no other indications Picton applied the truck’s brakes. He said Picton told investigators he was pulling off the interstate to fuel the truck at a nearby truck stop. The impact of the crash partially separated the bus from its frame and caused extensive damage to the front end of the truck, said Sgt. Bryan Davis of the ASP. Davis said at least one witness saw the accident occur. Both vehicles rolled into ditches after the impact, and three of the students, including Rhoades, were partially ejected from the bus and crushed as it rolled over, according to Crawford County Coroner Pam Porter. The students’ seats on the bus were not equipped with seat belts. Both wrecked vehicles were hauled to Arkansas Truck Center in Alma, said Lemons. He said investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board will inspect the vehicles and work with State Police to reconstruct the accident and determine the cause. NTSB Investigator David Rayburn could not be reached for comment Friday. Lemons said blood samples from both drivers were sent to the state crime lab in Little Rock for analysis. Picton was taken from the scene of the accident to Crawford Memorial Hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries and questioned by ASP investigators, Lemons said. After his release from the hospital, Van Buren Police took Picton to the Van Buren police station, said Van Buren Police Lieutenant Tony Kaman. “We thought for the safety of the everyone and in order to keep the peace, that he was brought here to the police department where he was later picked up,” Kaman said. Kaman said officers estimated about 100 people had gathered at the hospital. “The officers on the scene felt it was the best decision at the time. We were afraid that if the subject walked out into the lobby, with a hundred people there. ... We could have potentially had what we consider a bad situation,” Kaman said. The truck Picton was driving is owned by Gayle Stuart Trucking of Vandalia, Mo., according to officials. Representatives of Gayle Stuart would not comment on the accident but confirmed Picton was employed by the company. No citations have been issued as a result of the accident. Davis said the ASP would forward the results of their investigation to the Crawford County Prosecutor’s Office, which would determine what charges, if any, would be filed in connection with the accident. Rhoades’ funeral will be 2 p.m. Monday in Edwards Van-Alma Funeral Home Chapel in Van Buren with committal service and burial at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Andarko Cemetery in Andarko, Okla. A prayer vigil will be today from 1 to 5 p.m. at Mountainburg Baptist Church, which also is collecting non-perishable foods for the victim’s families from noon to 6 p.m., Bridges said. By Michael Ream TIMES RECORD
Former Teachers Recall Students When word broke that a school bus and a tractor trailer had collided near Interstate 540, Cmdr. John Rickard was concerned. He became more concerned after learning that one of his former students was aboard. Travis Foster, 15, suffered massive internal injuries in the accident Thursday and died while undergoing surgery. He wasn’t well known in Mountainburg because he and his family moved to the community in May. They had lived in Alma. Foster was a freshman and had been involved in a number of activities, including Rickard’s NJROTC program while attending Alma High School. “He was a good kid and a pretty good student. … He spent a better part of the year as part of this program until moving to Mountainburg in early May,” said Rickard. Foster got involved with
the program before his freshman year began, Rickard said. The Alma school teacher
said students who knew Foster were grieving Friday. Foster was one of two students killed in Thursday’s accident. Elwin Rhoads III died at the scene of the accident. He had attended
Mountainburg schools for about a year, said Mountainburg Superintendent
James Bridges. Prior to that, he had attended school in Mulberry. “It has been a couple of years since he was my student, and I hadn’t met him again until a few weeks ago. … He had matured so much. It was amazing how much more grown up he appeared. I was really pleased. I thought he was going to be a really good future citizen,” said Baber. Mulberry schools have been out of session for more than a week. However, Baber said her students have contacted her and many have expressed grief. “My students who were in the class with him are feeling this keenly. … It’s a small school, and it’s more of a family group,” she said. By Terry Groover TIMES RECORD
Memorial Funds Established A memorial fund in the name of Elwin Rhoads III has been set up at Citizens Bank and Trust in Van Buren. The account number is 503800610. A similar fund has been established for Travis Foster. The account number is 505402810. Donations also can be made to either account at First National Bank in Fort Smith. Rhoads and Foster, both 15, died after the bus they were riding in was struck by a tractor-trailer Thursday afternoon on Arkansas 282. Nine others were injured in the accident.TIMES RECORD STAFF
Mountainburg Arkansas - May 31, 2001 Full summary available at: http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/2002/HAR0203.htm
NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD
From the conclusions:
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