• 28
  • July
    2010

A school bus with 34 passengers overturned on Interstate 35 near Wellsville last Saturday morning leaving nine children injured, including one that was airlifted to Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City with critical injuries. The investigation of the bus crash is ongoing and it may take several more days or more for the Kansas Highway Patrol to determine the cause.

The bus was carrying 29 children and four teenage counselors along with the bus driver. The group was apparently on its way from a Baptist church camp in Franklin County back to Independence, Missouri. Tri-City Ministries, based in Independence, had sponsored the trip.

According to a trooper from the Kansas Highway Patrol, it appears that bus driver may have overcorrected causing the bus to roll. Most of the children aboard had minor injuries including cuts and bruises. Eight children were taken by ambulance to local hospitals with injuries including broken bones, bruises, and neck and back pain.

The one child airlifted to Children's Mercy Hospital is reported to be in good condition and is expected to make a full recovery. The most recent information available indicates that all of the children have been released from hospitals except for the child that was airlifted and another that suffered a broken hip in the crash.

The cause of the accident is unknown, but authorities typically conduct tests to make sure a driver was not impaired in any way when accidents such as this occurs. There is no indication at this time if another driver or a mechanical defect of any kind contributed to the crash.


Related Resources:

School bus crashes on Kan. Interstate, 9 injured (Wichita Eagle)