A Northwestern Local Schools District school bus carrying 52 kids overturned in Lawrenceville, Ohio after crashing into a Honda Odyssey minivan yesterday morning (Aug. 22). One child was ejected from the bus and pronounced dead at the scene. Twenty-three other students were injured.
The accident, which took place around 8 a.m., resulted when the eastbound Odyssey drove into the lane of the westbound bus. The bus tried to avoid contact but couldn’t and turned over on impact. A passenger in the gray Odyssey was seriously injured while the drivers of the school bus and minivan had minor injuries. The driver of the bus was wearing a seatbelt but belts were not available for passengers, according to officials.
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Northwestern Local schools posted the following message on its Facebook page: “We will have grief counselors available for anyone who needs additional support during this tragedy. The Elementary and the Jr/Sr High will open at 8am, for students, staff, and community members who need assistance and want to talk to a mental health specialist. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families that have been impacted by this tragedy.”
This is the kind of incident you hate to hear about—the kind of unimaginable horror that makes you want to hold your little ones tighter and for longer before they walk out of your doors and into the world every morning. We certainly will be doing so.
The crash is under investigation. We'll continue to update this post as more information comes in.