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Nine children seriously injured in school bus crash on I-35 near Wellsville

9 children injured

Staff and wire reports

July 17, 2010, 11:38 a.m. Updated July 17, 2010, 4:45 p.m.

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Mile marker 191 along I-35

Wellsville — A school bus carrying nearly 30 children crashed Saturday in eastern Kansas, injuring nine children including one who was flown to a hospital with critical injuries, authorities said.

The children were on their way back to Missouri from a church camp when their bus rolled along Interstate 35 near Wellsville about 10 a.m., according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.

“It was a fiasco when I got there,” said Trooper Neil Stanley, who was the first trooper on the scene. “Whenever you get the call from a school bus, it’s pretty scary.”

Eight children were taken to local hospitals in ambulances with injuries that ranged from possible broken bones and back and neck pain, and one child was airlifted to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., Stanley said.

He did not know the condition of the child who was flown to the hospital, and a hospital spokeswoman said she could not confirm that the child was being treated there.

The cause of the accident is under investigation. But Stanley said the bus, which was headed back to Missouri from a Baptist church camp in rural Franklin County, appeared to have overcorrected and then rolled, ending up on its side in the northbound lanes of the highway.

There were 34 people on the bus, including the driver, four teenage counselors and 29 children, who ranged in age from 8 to 15.

Stanley said most of the children had cuts and bruises, and some of those taken to hospitals complained of back and neck pain. “It was just because they were tossed around in the bus,” he said.

Several children were crying and asking for their parents when he arrived. Some wanted cell phones so they could call home, he said.

“We tried to do what we could until the ambulance arrived,” he said, adding that the bus driver’s children were also on the bus, but the extent of their injuries was not known.

Several people who saw the accident stopped and started helping the children.

“A lot of volunteers just came up, and people who were just moms and dads and who just wanted to help,” he said.

It was unclear where in Missouri the bus was headed, Stanley said.

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  1. LadyJ (anonymous) says…

    A parent's worst nightmare, prayers for all involved.

  2. dancemomx2 (Sheila White) says…

    Thoughts and prayers for all involved.

  3. Boston_Corbett (anonymous) says…

    OK, just picking nits with the weekend editor here. I hope all injured recover quickly.

    But...

    Headline: 26 injured
    Article: 26 required medical treatment; 18 Code Greens; 23 children on bus; children not injured will be bused to Ottawa

    Confusing writing.

    If you are "not injured" why do you receive medical treatment? Or did they? Or were the Code Greens transported to Ottawa?

    We can tell there were at least three non-youth on he bus, because 26>23. So did the 18 Code Greens consist of everyone except the 8 Code yellow-reds? Or were there more uninjured adults on the bus?

    1. sharong (anonymous) replies…

      Your comment is stupid enough concerning such a horrible tragedy without you posting it twice.

  4. Boston_Corbett (anonymous) says…

    OK, just picking nits with the weekend editor here. I hope all injured recover quickly.

    But...

    Headline: 26 injured
    Article: 26 required medical treatment; 18 Code Greens; 23 children on bus; children not injured will be bused to Ottawa

    Confusing writing.

    If you are "not injured" why do you receive medical treatment? Or did they? Or were the Code Greens transported to Ottawa?

    We can tell there were at least three non-youth on he bus, because 26>23. So did the 18 Code Greens consist of everyone except the 8 Code yellow-reds? Or were there more uninjured adults on the bus?

    1. wmathews (Whitney Mathews) replies…

      I'm a little confused about your question here. Nick's writing is clear to me. Twenty six patients needed medical treatment and he identified the level of severity (green, yellow or red). Obviously some of the 23 children were either treated at the scene as code greens (minor injuries) or were not injured, as they're being taken to the Franklin County Sheriff's Department.

      It's unknown at this time how many of those injured are children vs. adults and exactly how many people were on the bus, or that important information would be included in the story.

      Whitney Mathews
      Online Editor

      1. Pywacket (anonymous) replies…

        This one (from para 2) could use a fix:

        The other 15 children on the bus were reunited with their parents, four of which were released to their parents.

        Even if the "which" were changed to "whom," this sentence would make no sense, as the which/whom describes "parents" being released to parents.

        How about: The other 15 children on the bus were reunited with their parents; four being released to parents and the other 11...? (info lacking...remained at the scene for first aid treatment before being released?).....

        1. Dec84 (anonymous) replies…

          Pywacket, does it really matter? It will not change the outcome, so do us a favor and STFU...and just hope that they are OK.

          1. Pywacket (anonymous) replies…

            If you're printing the news, yes, it does matter. You want accuracy whether the article is about cultivating zinnias or an accident, tornado, or whatever. They are usually appreciative of a friendly catch from editorial colleagues or just literate readers out here.

            I did not make my comments in a disrespectful way to the writer, so I really don't see what concern it is of yours. You can STFU yourself if you think that will "change the outcome" or heal anybody up quicker. I'll put my faith in medical technology.

        2. wmathews (Whitney Mathews) replies…

          I'm not seeing that sentence in the current text. It may have been in there while I was away from my computer (not working today).

          1. Pywacket (anonymous) replies…

            Yes--it disappeared when they updated, Whitney. They've done a great job of staying on top of this story. Thanks.

  5. Boston_Corbett (anonymous) says…

    Edits to the headline and article have fixed the ambiguity. Thanks.

  6. thebigspoon (anonymous) says…

    I wonder if they all had their seatbelts on ? Oh wait I forgot school buses don't have seatbelts. I still don't understand how a school bus is exempt for the seatbelt law ? Anyway I hope that everyone will be okay after this accident.

    1. GonetotheDogs (anonymous) replies…

      Let me see if I can explain to you why there are not seatbelts on full sized buzzes.

      Can you tell me, HOW, you think that if the driver somehow became disabled, all of those kids would get out of those seatbelts? Those seats are designed to act as a barrier to keep the passengers in the seat. Passenger cars are not. Now, that being said, buckle up~ its the law!

      1. thebigspoon (anonymous) replies…

        Maybe they could reach down, grasp the buckle, and pull, kind of like they do in their family cars. And what do you mean the seats are to act as barriers and cars arent? Do you mean that the metal framed, unpadded rear sides of bus seats are a better barrier to flying children then the fully padded seats of cars? If that is it, you have not been in a bus in a long time, nor are you grounded well in physics. A child flung into the seat in front of him is in more danger of harm, by far, than one belted into his seat.

        1. GonetotheDogs (anonymous) replies…

          For your info, not that it will matter, but I do know. Coming from being a driver of school buses for several years (with safety awards), being DOT licensed, and having friends in law enforcement, I do know that although not terribly comfortable, plush and beautiful, those seats do have padding (front and back), and are designed to keep the passenger in the general area of the seat in which they started out in! Those seats, do allow for movement between them, but not as much as they would have in a passenger car, thereby having less chance of major injury even though they are not belted in. Also, keep in mind that many of the passengers on a school bus, do not have the strength and wits of the *average* adult- meaning they are kids. Scared and confused kids(and up to 72 kids can ride on 1, count it ONE, bus). Now, if that doesn't do it for you, then please prove a point for me. Go out sometime and crawl in an overturned vehicle, lift yourself up and get buckled in. Then, once all the blood rushes to your head, pretend you are a scared kid, and with all of you weight on that buckle, with just a couple fingers, try to unbuckle yourself.
          Yeah, nuff said.

          1. This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.

      2. ralphralph (anonymous) replies…

        Cost is the only reason there are not seatbelts on busses. Cost. Period.

    2. cheeseburger (anonymous) replies…

      Watch the Canadian School Bus Crash Test Video - it's a real eye-opener for people that think belts in buses is a good idea. Schools bus seats are high-backed and padded because compartmentalization is safer on buses.

      By the way, the vehicle involved was a church bus, not a school bus as erroneously reported in the headline.

      1. domino (anonymous) replies…

        Many church busses are refurbished school busses.

        1. cheeseburger (anonymous) replies…

          I'm well aware of that, but a school bus is yellow, says 'school bus' on it, has a stop sign on the side, is inspected by the Kansas Highway Patrol annually, and the operation of such is governed in state statutes. A church bus is none of these.

          Yes, the vehicle involved used to be a school bus. It is now a church bus.

  7. SBerrie (anonymous) says…

    Should be I-35, not 1-35. Thanks.

  8. Gootsie (anonymous) says…

    You armchair editors are pathetic. Who cares if it is 1 or I? For crying out loud. Small children and teenagers were in a school bus accident!!!! Focus your energies and prayers on those children and the adults and the parents!!!!!!

    1. rando1965 (anonymous) replies…

      what a moron who cares ? and if yo look it is I-35 this is a story about the injured children which i hope all recover and not a grammer lesson.

    2. This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.

      1. Hydra (anonymous) replies…

        Pywacket
        People should quit pickinrg on you. Any woman that exercises with margarita lifts, skies behind zambonies wearing a bikini and is a fireworks pyro is near perfect in my book!!

        1. Pywacket (anonymous) replies…

          Haha! Thanks, Hydra. I don't feel picked on. I realize that I come off as rather pugnacious on these forums and I do wade into some of the more controversial issues, so I am probably just asking for trouble.

    3. Pywacket (anonymous) replies…

      Sigh... The LJW cares, Gootsie. It may surprise you that some of us "armchair" editors receive lucrative returns in the real world for making catches like this--not that it really matters, but just to clarify...

      The LJW seems to appreciate extra pairs of eyes, as long as the person isn't being obnoxious about it, which SBerrie certainly was not. Since it's the weekend, it's possible the articles aren't as well vetted as they would be during the week--and it's notoriously hard to edit one's own copy. (I greatly appreciate when a colleague points out a flub in something I have written.)

      If Whitney, Jonathan, or another LJW staffer ever asked me to put down my catcher's mitt and walk away, I would respectfully do so. I can't speak for anyone else.

      We are all aware of what the story is about and who was injured. Would you use quite so many exclamation points if they had all been adults? Interesting thought. Unless I suddenly grow a medical degree, my energies are of no use to the victims or their families.

      And, sorry, if prayer were anything but empty superstition, there would never have been such a wreck, since (this being a church bus and all) undoubtedly every loving parent said one for his or her child's safety as the child boarded the bus for what was to have been simply a fun excursion.

      There's nothing we readers can do for the victims. Maybe some of us deal with that frustration by doing what we can--to help the paper fine tune online copy. If this is done without (nastiness)* or condescension, I'm not sure why it should offend you. I honestly don't go looking for errors. It's like seeing a blob of spinach dip on a friend's face--you'd go crazy if you didn't tell her. And she, I would think, would appreciate the chance to right something that might otherwise provoke derision from someone less concerned with her wellbeing.

      *replacing original word, which was cause of post being removed. Even though we have moved on to newer news, I have restored the post--minus that word--primarily so no one will think I was cussing Gootsie out or anything... Interestingly, that "bad" word was posted with a few disguising **s, but still was considered a little too borderline--while, above, in two other posts (one of them mine) "STFU" stands untouched. I would have thought that was more offensive. Oh, well...

  9. Gootsie (anonymous) says…

    How about an email that does not show up in the article? Or perhaps a phone call? And I won't argue religion with you Py.

    1. Pywacket (anonymous) replies…

      Wasn't trying to argue religion. Was just responding to your comment that people should use their energies on prayer rather than making comments here. What I'm saying is--since you're the one who brought religion into the equation--that atheists care about the victims just as deeply as you or any of the other pious souls who are offering prayer. We just do not believe that what we (or you) do at home makes one iota of difference to those victims' wellbeing or survival. Empirical evidence suggests that this is true. So we may as well expend our energy on something that CAN be fixed with our help.

      I don't want the religious types to labor under the misconception (one I have dealt with all my adult life) that flinging prayers out into space makes them more compassionate than atheists. It doesn't.

      To everyone's relief, I'm sure, it appears that all--even the most badly injured--the children from that bus will recover. That's something we can all agree to be pleased about.

      1. Gootsie (anonymous) replies…

        Py I think you need your own newspaper.

        1. Gootsie (anonymous) replies…

          I believe it said energies and prayers. I think that covers all beliefs, right? I am so not down on athiests. You need to quit using the between the lines excuse for your rants.

  10. Dejacrew423 (anonymous) says…

    My prayers and thoughts go out to all involved.

    1. Gootsie (anonymous) replies…

      Me too. Any updates?

  11. justchuck (anonymous) says…

    and make sure to keep you eye out for the Heritage Baptist Church bus. it's blue and white. they pack that sucker full of kids and adults that do not sit in their seats properly. I saw them downtown by the police station yesterday. Kids were sitting on the backs of seats, against the window, standing up and all over the place. looked like a huge accident waiting to happen itself. But running around getting in and out of your bus i guess sitting and being safe is alot to ask

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