Changes expected at intersection of school bus crash site in St. Louis County

DULUTH, Minnesota (Northern News Now) – Changes are coming to a St. Louis County intersection following a bus crash that left nearly a dozen schoolchildren hospitalized last week.

The most recent bus crash occurred last Thursday at Town Line Road and Highway 5 near Cherry. The same intersection has seen seven crashes in the past decade.

According to authorities, a 19-year-old driver drove into the side of a bus carrying 20 students on September 12, causing the bus to overturn.

Nearly a dozen children were hospitalized.

Carrie Tracy spoke to Northern News Now just hours after the bus crash last Thursday, raising concerns about the intersection of Highway 5 and Town Line Road and calling for change.

“The 16 is a straight stretch, so people speed, and by the time they see the stop sign, it's too late,” Tracy said.

A week later, the district announces changes.

According to St. Louis County data, there have been seven accidents at this intersection since 2014, less than one per year. Four of the seven accidents resulted in only vehicle damage, two accidents resulted in minor injuries, and one resulted in a possible injury.

In four of the crashes, a driver was found to have failed to stop at a stop sign. The majority of drivers who failed to stop were traveling eastbound on Town Line Road.

While state police are investigating the exact causes of the accident, the county says it is believed the driver of the vehicle was traveling eastbound on Town Line Road when she failed to stop at a stop sign and collided with the bus.

County engineers say that when looking at road safety, they use data from their County Road Safety Plan (CRSP) to prioritize safety investments. The more risk factors present in a given area, the higher the risk of a future serious crash.

According to CRSP, this intersection is among the 41 percent of all intersections with the highest risk.

Given the history of accidents, the district is now taking steps to improve safety at the intersection. In the short term, the district plans to replace the existing stop signs with blinker stop signs, add signs stating “cross traffic does not stop” under both stop signs, and put up additional stop sign warning signs.

It is not yet clear when these changes will come into effect.

In the long term, St. Louis County will initiate an intersection control evaluation study to determine what additional changes need to be made.

The latest investigation into the bus crash is still ongoing by the Minnesota State Patrol.

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