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Bus Crash In Missouri

August 6, 2010 by · Comments Off on Bus Crash In Missouri 

Bus Crash In MissouriBus Crash In Missouri, GRAYS SUMMIT, Mo. – Two people were killed Thursday morning in an accident involving a tractor-trailer, a pickup truck and two school buses loaded with John F. Hodge High School Band members on the way to Six Flags.
TDC 10:15 accidents on Interstate 44 near Gray Summit, Missouri, killed a girl in high school and the driver of the van, according to Missouri Highway Patrol Cpl. Jeff Wilson. More than 40 others were taken to area hospitals, most with minor injuries.

Members of the red band of the regiment of St. James, Mo., school, took part in an annual trip to the amusement park. Wilson said the bus was facing the girls, while the second bus carried the boys. The girl who was killed was sitting in the back of the bus first.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

According to the company that owns the truck, the accident occurred as the truck was slowing down due to congestion related to construction on the highway.

Climate Express President Tim Laske said the pickup struck the truck from behind and was then struck by the first school bus, which seems to have climbed to the top of the truck before being struck by school bus second.

The truck driver was among the injured in the accident.

The first bus driver told investigators that she had changed lanes to avoid a car stopped on the edge of the road and could not stop in time after realizing the truck struck the tractor-trailer before it, the highway patrol said.

A witness said he heard a boom, shortly after 10:00, but do not think unusual because of the construction activity in the region. But when Erin Hall Villa Ridge heard a scream, she said she knew something was wrong.

Arriving at the accident – just across the road from her home – she has seen dozens of children on the grass on the south side of the road. Others walked by holding hands.

“They all seem surprised or shocked,” Hall said. “I heard a lot of tears and a lot of screaming.”

St. James Public School Superintendent Joy Tucker spoke briefly with reporters on the scene, saying the accident is devastating for the community.

“There will be no way we can get over this,” said Tucker. “It was a horrible, horrible day for our community.”

St. James School officials would not comment on the accident. On the site of the school orchestra, there is a note that says, “Aug. 5 may be our annual trip to Six Flags, but it will depend on budget and transportation costs.”

A parent, Donna Lort, said she received a call from his 16 year old son, shortly after the accident.

“He would not tell me too much because he thought I do not worry, but he thinks that a couple was killed in the accident, but he did not know,” she said. “I called as Many parents that I knew and passed along to them. He is more afraid of me being too edgy. ”

She said her son, Taylor, had worked all summer, volunteering at the car wash and selling candy to raise money for the trip. He suffered minor injuries in the accident

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