Feb 20, 2008 11:35 am US/Central
School: 2 Killed In Bus Crash Were Siblings
COTTONWOOD, Minn. (WCCO) ―
One family lost two children after a crash between a school bus and two other vehicles in southwestern Minnesota Tuesday afternoon, according to the school superintendent.
Two other students were killed in the crash that also left 14 injured, authorities said. Authorities said they would release their identities at a 1 p.m. press conference.
Classes were canceled for the day at Lakeview School, but a steady flow of people came in "seeking support," Superintendent Sheldon Johnson said.
"I got a little bit of a pick-me-upper, because we learned our students had come through the night with some improvement," said Johnson.
As of Wednesday morning, four were listed in fair or stable condition at Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center. Another four were listed in fair condition at Avera McKennan in Sioux Falls, S.D., as well as one still listed in critical condition.
At Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D., one person was admitted and in fair condition. Lakeview is a small school of about 585 students that serves Cottonwood and Wood Lake. Plans were made to have grief counselors and clergy available to students, Johnson said.
"I want everyone to know that we're all here to help, and our community will rally around those that especially need our support at this time," said Johnson.
The community will also hold a prayer service at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
The students died when their Lakeview School bus was hit by a van Tuesday afternoon on a highway near Cottonwood, about two hours southwest of Minneapolis. About 28 K-12 students from Lakeview Schools were on the bus when it crashed.
The bus was traveling south on Highway 23 and was struck by a van heading eastbound on County Road 24. The van hit the side of the bus, forcing the bus to roll to the left and land onto a pickup truck.
The victims weren't immediately identified, and their ages weren't immediately given. According to the Minnesota State Patrol's Web site, the driver of the van and the driver of the pickup struck were not seriously injured.
The crash rocked Cottonwood, a small town of a little more than 1,000 people, and the surrounding area. About 40 people attended an evening press briefing at Swan Lake Evangelical Free Church.
When Fire Chief Dale Louwagie was asked what the community could do, he said simply, "Pray."
Rescue squads and ambulances from nearly every city in Lyon County, Wood Lake and Granite Falls in Yellow Medicine County and Redwood Falls were called to the crash site.
Deann Holland, a spokeswoman at Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center, said the ages of the victims they received ranged from 11 to 52 years old.
One patient came in by private vehicle, two by helicopter and the rest by ambulances. The hospital set up an emergency response to prepare for the accident victims.
Two of the victims were taken by ambulance to Granite Falls Hospital, which is about 15 miles north of the accident scene. Hospital CEO George Gerlach said one was 11 years old and the other 14.
"They were treated and stabilized in our ER," Gerlach said. Neither had life-threatening injuries, but had fractures that required a higher level of care than could be provided in Granite Falls, he said.
They were being taken, one by helicopter and the other by ambulance, to Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D., to undergo orthopedic surgery, Gerlach said.
The Marshall Independent newspaper reported that the first motorists on the scene were asked to take some children to the hospital.
"I parked my car and called 911, and ran to the school bus and the driver was handing kids out the door as fast as I could take them," Karen Mahlum told the newspaper.
Other motorists also stopped and took kids from the driver.
"You just wanted to make sure it was safe," she said. "They were screaming and screaming on the bus. There were so many kids."
Pictures from the scene showed the school bus lying on its side on the hood and cab of a pickup truck.
"I grabbed my camera," said Courtney Voorhees, who works in sales and advertising for the Tri-County News. "I could see traffic backed up and see lights, but I didn't know what was going on. I could just see people running around. I saw a lot of firemen."
The Independent reported that the first motorists on the scene were asked to take some children on the bus to the hospital themselves.
"The bus driver was actually taking kids and handing them to people on the road," said Marshall Independent reporter Rae Kruger, who was on the scene. "A lot of them looked scared. Some had a few cuts and things, but scared and crying ... the ones that I can see."
Gov. Tim Pawlenty issued a statement calling it "a sad night for Minnesota."
"It is especially heartbreaking when young lives are lost," he said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who were killed or injured in this tragic accident."
Krueger said accident reconstruction teams would work the crash site Wednesday.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
