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School bus overturns in Ozaukee County, 8 students injured

Eight children were injured Monday morning in a school bus crash involving 36 Random Lake School District students. The injured students were taken by ambulance to hospitals, including Children's Wisconsin. Police report the 36 students' injuries ranged from mild to severe, but none are life-threatening. The children ranged in age from elementary to high school students. The district superintendent said their injuries ranged from bumps and bruises to broken bones and concussions. The crash occurred near the intersection of County Road E and Jay Road in a rural part of northwest Ozaukee County at approximately 7:23 a.m. Nurse Kimberly Learned was driving home from work when she saw the crash. Learned immediately began to help and realized it was a Random Lake School District bus: the same district her children go to. “You see their friends and you think, that's my kids' bus,” Learned said. “All of these thoughts are going through your head, but at the same time you know you have to take care of the person who is the most seriously ill.” The Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office reported that the driver of a Jeep Grand Cherokee failed to stop at a stop sign. As a result, the Jeep collided with a bus, causing the bus to spin 180 degrees and tip over onto its passenger side. The bus came to a stop in a south-facing ditch. Students were evacuated through the roof and rear emergency exit. According to officials, the driver of the Jeep and her passenger suffered minor injuries and were taken to a hospital. The bus driver, a 53-year-old West Bend man, had minor injuries and was also evaluated at a nearby hospital. The students' families were notified and met at the scene by their parents. The Sheriff's Office says some students were later taken to the hospital by their parents as a precaution. “My first reaction was, 'Are you OK? I'm on my way.' “I knew he was at least allowed to call me,” said Carrie Meloy, whose eighth-grader son was injured in the crash. “Something needs to change, but what is it going to take and how long? We've seen so many accidents and lived here for so many years – 40 years – and nothing has changed at this intersection except trees have grown.” The Ozaukee County sheriff said sun and fog may have made it difficult for the 32-year-old driver of the Jeep to see the road. The driver of the Jeep let investigators search her phone, but she had not been on the phone or texting at the time of the crash. The sheriff said they plan to ticket the driver of the Jeep for disregarding a stop sign.

FREDONIA, Wis. —

Eight children were injured in a school bus crash involving 36 students from the Random Lake School District Monday morning.

The injured students were taken by ambulance to hospitals, including Children's Wisconsin.

Police report that the injuries sustained by the 36 students ranged from minor to severe, but none were life-threatening. The children ranged in age from elementary to high school students.

The district manager said their injuries ranged from bumps and bruises to broken bones and concussions.

WISN

Pictures from Newschopper 12 show a school bus on its side in a ditch

The accident occurred at approximately 7:23 a.m. near the intersection of County Road E and Jay Road in a rural area of ​​northwest Ozaukee County. Nurse Kimberly Learned was driving home from work when she saw the accident.

Learned immediately began to help and realized it was a bus from the Random Lake School District: the same district where her children attend.

“You see their friends and think, 'That's my kids' bus,'” Learned said. “All of these thoughts are going through your head, but at the same time you know you have to take care of the person who is the sickest.”

The Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office reported that the driver of a Jeep Grand Cherokee failed to stop at a stop sign. As a result, the Jeep collided with a bus, causing it to spin 180 degrees and flip onto its passenger side. The bus came to rest in a south-facing ditch.

SUV and bus accident in Ozaukee County

WISN

Newschopper 12 shows the intersection where the accident occurred

The students were evacuated through the roof and the rear emergency exit. According to officials, the driver of the Jeep and her passenger suffered minor injuries and were taken to a hospital.

The bus driver, a 53-year-old man from West Bend, suffered minor injuries and was also examined at a nearby hospital.

The students' families were notified and their parents met them at the scene. The sheriff's office said some students were later taken to the hospital by their parents as a precaution.

“My first reaction was, 'Are you OK? I'm on my way.' I knew he was at least allowed to call me,” said Carrie Meloy, whose eighth-grader son was injured in the crash. “Something has to change. What will it cost and how long? We've had so many accidents here and lived here for so many years, 40 years, and nothing has changed at this intersection except that trees have grown.”

SUV and bus accident in Ozaukee County

WISN

Newschopper 12 shows an SUV with severe front damage that was involved in the accident

The Ozaukee County Sheriff said the sun and fog may have made it difficult for the 32-year-old driver of the Jeep to see the road. The driver of the Jeep allowed investigators to search her phone, but she was not on the phone or texting at the time of the crash.

The sheriff said they wanted to ticket the driver of the Jeep for ignoring a stop sign.

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