‘It could’ve been a lot worse’: 11 people injured in bus crash outside Lincoln
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The Nebraska State Patrol is investigating after a school bus rolled over southeast of Lincoln on Tuesday morning.
At about 7:30 a.m., the bus was headed west down Highway 2 on its way to drop off students in Palmyra and Bennet.
The state patrol said the bus slowed down to pull into a driveway about a mile east of Palmyra. A pickup truck then failed to brake and hit the bus from behind, spinning it and tipping it over.
Nine students, the bus driver and the pickup driver were taken to a hospital, but officials said none of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening.
The children, all between the ages of five and 14, were reunited with their parents at the hospital.
Michael Hart, superintendent of Palmyra-Bennet Public Schools, said his priority was making sure parents knew what was going on.
“Thank goodness none of those injuries were more serious,” he said. “It could’ve been a lot worse than it was. It’s a superintendent’s nightmare. It’s all of our nightmare to have our children hurt in any way.”
Rescue crews from Palmyra, Douglas, Syracuse and Nebraska City responded to the crash, in addition to troopers and deputies from Otoe County.
Hart said he’s grateful for those first responders, as well as the bus driver, who got students out safely.
“Everybody that was on-site, one of the things they commented on was the professionalism, the efficiency and just the care for our kids that our bus driver had this morning,” he said. “Helping get the kids off, counting the kids, making sure they were OK.”
He said the district will provide crisis counseling for anyone affected.
“You never know what the psychological impact is,” Hart said. “Kids might be afraid to get on the bus. Maybe there’s kids that were impacted because their friend might’ve been on the bus.”
After the crash, traffic was restricted for several hours as the bus was flipped right side up with a crane truck and towed away.
Authorities haven’t said whether the driver of the pickup will be cited, but the investigation is ongoing.
