Aug 2, 2007 4:46 am US/Central
School Bus Filled With Kids On Collapsed Bridge
by Terri Gruca
Minneapolis (WCCO) ―
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The children ranged in ages from 5 to 13 and were from the Waite House, which is located in the Phillips Neighborhood of South Minneapolis.
CBS
As the Interstate 35W bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River Wednesday evening, a school bus full of children was crossing the bridge on their way back home after being on a field trip at a beach.
Sixty children were stranded on the collapsed bridge. Other stranded motorists -- some more concerned about the safety of the children on the bus than their own safety -- boarded the bus and ushered the children to safety.
One young man helped all of the children out of the back door of the bus. Others helped carry a few of the injured children off the bus. The children were fortunate, because the bus landed nearly on its tires, saving the children from being tossed around.
A man who was helping children off the bus said that he was afraid a car near the bus could roll and crush them. All the kids were off the bus before the fire from a nearby truck spread.
Christine Swift's 10-year-old daughter, Kaleigh, was on the bus that was on the bridge, returning from a field trip to Bunker Beach Water Park in Blaine. She said her daughter called her about 6:10 p.m.
"She was screaming, 'The bridge collapsed,"' Swift said.
She said a police officer told her all the kids got off the bus safely.
Josetta Ollison, of Minneapolis, said her 4-year-old daughter and 6-year-old niece also were on the bus.
"I haven't been able to talk to them, but they tell me they're OK," she said.
The children ranged in ages from 5 to 13 and were from the Waite House, which is located in the Phillips Neighborhood of South Minneapolis.
The Waite House is a community center that is part of the Pillsbury United Communities Organization.
Eight children and two staff members on the bus were hospitalized. The Red Cross helped the rest of the children.
"All I could think was, thank God that bus didn't go in the river," said Kelly Morgan, a resident of the nearby Little Earth housing project who came to Waite House when she heard the news.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Special Section: I-35W Bridge Collapse
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