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, on September 12, a 19-year-old driver crashed into the bus carrying 20 students, causing the bus to overturn.

The state police are investigating the exact circumstances of the accident.

However, according to the county, the driver of the vehicle, who was traveling east on Town Line Road, failed to stop at the stop sign and struck the bus.

According to county data, there have been seven accidents at this intersection since 2014 (not including the most recent bus accident), or less than one per year.

In four of the seven accidents, only damage to the vehicle occurred. In two accidents, minor injuries occurred and in one accident, a possible injury was identified.

In four of the accidents, it was determined that the cause was that the driver had failed to obey a stop sign.

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.

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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