did u hear about the accident in HUNTSVILLE, Ala.???

Question

The bus went to the side, and I guess it went over," she said. "When it was falling ... I was just glad when it hit the ground."

It struck the ground nose-first, about 30 feet below the I-565 overpass.

Two teenage girls died in the wreckage; a third died later at a hospital.

"They were falling on each other. People were screaming, yelling, crying," said Jefferson, 16, who suffered fractures to her left arm and cuts and bruises to her face.

More than 30 Lee High School students and the bus driver were taken to Huntsville Hospital, which became a hectic trauma center Monday with emergency physicians and staff called in to help as ambulances brought in the severely injured.

Five people, including the bus driver, had undergone surgery, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Police said the bus, taking students to classes at a downtown tech center, swerved on the overpass, plowed through a concrete barrier and plunged to the street below.

Police Chief Rex Reynolds said an orange Toyota Celica driven by another Lee High student apparently came close to or struck the bus, causing it to swerve. He declined to say whether charges would be filed.

Students on the bus, which was not equipped with seat belts, were screaming when rescue workers arrived. "They were thrown all over the bus," said Huntsville Fire Chief Dusty Underwood.

Some had to be extracted from the crumpled front of the bus, he said.


School Bus Safety




The police chief identified the high school students who died at the scene as Christina Collier, 18, and Nicole Ford, 17. A third, Tanesha Hill, 17, died at the hospital from her injuries, Huntsville Hospital CEO David Spillers said.

Some parents were called to the scene by wailing children on cell phones. Many were angered that police held them back or had no information. At the hospital, some collapsed in tears amid more confusion.

Hospital officials said the horror of the wreck was compounded by the inability of hospital staff to identify some of the more severely injured students who were unable to talk and had no identification on them.

The police chief said the driver and a passenger in the Celica went to a hospital following the crash, but he was not aware if they were treated for injuries. He said the driver was interviewed by police.

The bus driver was in critical condition, said Brooke Thorington, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Education.

"This is a heartbreaking tragedy," said Gov. Bob Riley in a statement in Montgomery.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which was to investigate the wreck, has said that school buses are designed to protect occupants without the use of seat belts. A new design uses strong, well-padded, high-backed seats, closely spaced together, the NTSB has said.

However, NTSB board member Debbie Hersman said at a news conference Monday night that the board last week added school bus safety to its list of most wanted transportation safety improvements. She said the board is recommending that new standards be devised to improve safety when buses are involved in rollover crashes.

Answer 1

HEY i think all of u guys that said something bad about the accident suck....cuz i go to Butler like right by lee....and it was really hard hearing abou this at school.....we all had friends on that bus...you dont understand the feeling we have for these people....and those who think it is cool that it went off the overpass, its not. it was very scary for them....plz keep these people in ur prayers..

Answer 2

It's a tragity that didn't have to happen. The bus driver made a poor choice after being cut off by a teenage driver. I would have hit him instead of swerving toward a guard rail, but it is a snap decesion.

Bus drivers should be trained better to deal with traffic. Most have little or no training.

My heart goes out to the families of the girls who lost their lives. As a father of a teenage girl, I can't imagine the pain these parents are going through now.

Answer 3

Yes and here is why buses don't have seat belts.

Bus Construction

In an accident involving a school bus, most fatalities and injuries occur outside of the bus. The construction of a typical school bus creates a safer passenger environment than that of a car or lighter vehicle. The impact of a crash is weaker because buses are heavier. This force is distributed differently along a bus. Buses have a body-on-frame design. This greatly differs from lighter vehicles, and provides impact protection not found elsewhere.

A bus' interior also differs from a car. The use of closely spaced seats that have padded backs -- a design called compartmentalization -- creates an enclosed environment for passengers in the absence of seat belts.

Studies of Safety
Numerous studies examining the effectiveness of different belt types and seating arrangements came to the same conclusion: seatbelts on a bus have more drawbacks than advantages.

Neither lap nor lap-and-shoulder belts on a bus provide the same type of protection offered in a car. During a head-on collision, the most common type for belts, lap belts, increase the risk of injury. On impact, this type of restraint allows a passenger's head to jerk forward, risking severe head and neck injury. Lap and shoulder belts would require the installation of stiffer seats. These seats could become a source of impact injury. Studies also showed that children slip downwards when restrained by lap and shoulder belts, risking injury to vulnerable internal organs.

In 1999, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) examined the effect of seat belt installation in buses. They came to the conclusion that seat belts actually would result in head injuries and fatalities. In fact, the NTSB found a relationship between most injuries/deaths and the seating position of the passenger. In these cases, the presence of seat belts would change nothing.

While there is no evidence proving that seat belts on buses save lives, there is reason to worry they may cause harm. During an emergency, seat belts could hinder young children from quickly exiting the bus; they simply could not free themselves. Drivers would be hard pressed to monitor belt usage for every student. And the heavy buckles could be used as weapons.

Studies by federal agencies, including the NTSB, have shown bus construction provides greater safety than seat belts ever could. Comparing the design of a school bus to a car is like comparing apples to oranges. Where belts protect passengers during car collisions, their presence may cause severe injuries on a bus. Seatbelts are only required on small buses weighing less than 10,000 pounds because their design more closely resembles a car. It is ironic, but the reality is that seat belts have no place on a school bus.

Answer 4

Having seat belts w/shoulder harnesses [that actually get fastened!] would likely change the 3 deaths into 'injuries' instead.

As it is now, only 5 states require school buses to be equipped with seat belts, and AL isn't one of them.

Then again, even if belts were there, most would likely be unfastened. So so much for that idea!

I say we start with proper training of all school bus drivers, and reminding them that big school bus doesn't maueuver the same as their Honda or Toyota does.

Answer 5

Do you really think a bus full of high school kids would wear seat belts if they were offered?

The accident is a tragedy. My heart goes out to the families who are suffering. Seat belts in a school bus - I doubt the kids will use them.

Answer 6

yes i read about it, even though there is a rarity of school bus related accidents and fatalities; there should be a push for seatbelts on buses.

Answer 7

It's tragic...

Answer 8

i heard about it