8 students seriously injured in school bus accident in Wisconsin

A school bus crash in southeastern Wisconsin injured eight students Monday after a car struck the bus, sending it careening off the road. Injuries ranged from minor to severe, authorities said, but none of the students' injuries were life-threatening.

The accident occurred before 7:30 a.m. CDT in Fredonia, according to the Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office. The Random Lake School District bus was carrying 36 students, some of them elementary school-age. The oldest were in high school, according to the sheriff's office. Ozaukee County includes Fredonia, a city about 30 miles north of Milwaukee that borders Random Lake.

When sheriff's deputies arrived at the scene Monday morning, they found the school bus lying on its passenger side in a ditch next to the road. A Jeep Grand Cherokee with extensive front-end damage was parked in the road. The sheriff's office said investigators determined the car, traveling east on County Trunk Highway East, disregarded a stop sign and struck the bus at an intersection as it was traveling north.

The crash caused the bus to spin 180 degrees and roll onto its side before sliding into the ditch, the sheriff said. The bus driver, identified as 53-year-old Mark Hall of West Bend, who works in the Random Lake School District, was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries. Likewise, the driver of the Jeep, 32-year-old Becka Stevenson, and a passenger, 33-year-old Luis Vargas, both suffered minor injuries after the crash.

The injured students were taken by ambulance to local hospitals and to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. Those who were not injured were evacuated through the roof and rear emergency exits of the school bus and were met by their parents at the scene. The sheriff said some students were later taken to local hospitals by their parents as a precaution.

The sheriff's office will issue Stevenson a citation for failure to comply with a stop sign. A further investigation into the incident is pending.

Previously, the Random Lake School District posted a message on its Facebook page informing the public that “Bus 17 was involved in an accident.”

“Students were injured and are receiving medical attention,” the district said. “All affected families have been contacted and the remaining students on the bus are currently being picked up by their parents. As soon as we have more information, we will update families.”

The district said school counselors would be available to support students and their families.