Sixteen Injured in Wisconsin School Bus Crash
Sixteen people were reportedly injured in a school bus crash last Wednesday morning in the City of Sparta, 14 of them students.
“Sheriff’s officials say a teen driver slammed into the back of a school bus in Monroe County, injuring herself, the bus driver and 14 students,” an article by TMJ-4 reads. “Authorities say the school bus was stopped on Highway 21 in the Town of Greenfield Wednesday morning with its lights and stop arm operating, and was loading children when the 18-year-old driver hit the back of the bus and slid underneath.”
Read More: Bus Accident Attorney in Wisconsin
The 18-year-old driver was reportedly extricated from the car she was driving as a result of the crash. She was taken to a Tomah hospital with severe injuries, but authorities say she’s expected to survive. “The bus driver and students were treated for minor injuries at Tomah Memorial. Nineteen other students were checked at the hospital,” the article reads. “The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department is investigating.”
This past summer, Wilmot Terminal manager, for Dousman Transport Co., Inc. made an announcement that Dousman Transport Wisconsin school buses will start using an eight-light system beginning Aug. 16, thanks to a law that was passed earlier in the year.
The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards Section 108 added four additional warning lights to school buses in 1968. The additional lamps are amber in color and inboard of the red warning lights; intended to signal an upcoming stop to drivers and overridden by the red lights and stop sign as the entry door is opened.
Many states adopted the eight-light system during the 1970s and 1980s. Wisconsin was the single remaining state to adopt this safety feature, which went into effect on August 16. Most buses in Wisconsin were switched to the new light system, depending on the model year of the school bus.
The amber lights flash before the red lights as a ‘Warning’ that the bus is preparing to stop, similar to a traffic light. The additional lights alert vehicles traveling around a school bus that they should prepare to stop.
The article does not mention whether or not the bus involved in the crash utilizes the eight-light system. There’s also no mention of whether or not the 18-year-old will face charges in connection to the incident.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Motor Transportation, between 2009 and 20014, there was an average of 542 bus crashes in the state of Wisconsin. Of those crashes, there were no fatalities reported. An average of 140 injuries of school bus occupants was reported as a result of crashes from 2009-2014.
