Video shows students and school bus driver, 74, tumbling through scary rollover

A security camera captured the terrifying moment a school bus with 25 students and a 74-year-old driver inside rolled over during a crash. According to nbc4i, the unexpecting bus driver rammed a car that had blown a red light. Eight students and the car driver were taken to hospitals for treatment. 

In Thornville, Ohio, just east of Columbus, an overhead interior video feed of a Northern Locals School bus gives a clear look at a wild moment after a 1996 Ford Mustang reportedly ran the red light in front of the bus. As seen in the video, the bus hits the car, then careens toward a guard rail, and when it makes contact, the bus flips and rolls over. 

The most jarring part of the clip is seeing the students fly through the air. Because they are not wearing seatbelts, the students shift first when the bus is hit and again when the bus rolls. For those who are not aware of the seatbelt laws in school buses, here’s what the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says: 

Large school buses are heavier and distribute crash forces differently than passenger cars and light trucks do. Because of these differences, bus passengers experience much less crash force than those in passenger cars, light trucks and vans. NHTSA decided the best way to provide crash protection to passengers of large school buses is through a concept called “compartmentalization.” This requires that the interior of large buses protect children without them needing to buckle up. Through compartmentalization, children are protected from crashes by strong, closely-spaced seats that have energy-absorbing seat backs.

 

Small school buses (with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less) must be equipped with lap and/or lap/shoulder belts at all designated seating positions. Since the sizes and weights of small school buses are closer to those of passenger cars and trucks, seat belts in those vehicles are necessary to provide occupant protection.

nbc4i says that eight of the 25 students were taken to a local hospital, but that none of the injuries were serious. The person in the Mustang, who was driving on a suspended license, suffered serious injuries and was taken to a different hospital for treatment. 

For more information, visit nbc4i.

While on the subject of school bus safety, there was a tragedy this morning when a 6-year-old girl was killed and her 4-year-old sister injured while trying to boarding a bus in Waushara, Wisconsin. The kindergartner died at the scene; her sister was treated at a hospital and released. School officials and state troopers say a driver in a Chevy Silverado went around the right side of the bus, which was stopped with its red flashing lights and stop sign deployed. Officials said there was fog at the time.

Please: Drive cautiously around school buses and honor their lights and stop sign. And drive cautiously in general during the morning and afternoon hours on local roads when buses are making their rounds — especially during adverse weather.

Here is a set of sobering statistics regarding crashes in and around school buses. Be careful out there.