Children recovering after school bus, semi accident

UPDATE:

On Tuesday, Oct. 4, a week after the Sept. 27 Chase County Schools bus accident, thoughts of “What if?” continue to cross Megan Wenzlick’s mind.

Wenzlick and husband Nathan had two daughters on the school bus that was hit by a full-loaded semitruck on Champion Spur 15A, 4 miles southwest of Imperial, Nebraska.

One of the Wenzlick girls escaped unharmed, and the other sustained cuts and scrapes.

“The kids seem to be so strong with this,” Megan said Tuesday afternoon.

“I keep thinking ‘What if?’ and how lucky we were.”

When Megan arrived on the scene, she said their first grade daughter, Italy, had blood on her hands and shoes and suffered a bloody nose and a gash on her face.

Penelope, their kindergartner, didn’t have a scratch.

They were seated toward the front of the bus, away from the impact to the rear passenger side, Megan said. The sisters sat across the aisle from each other.

The other two Wenzlick school-age children, sixth grader Kacen and fifth grader Ari, normally ride the bus, too.

Both had remained in town that day for football and volleyball practice, their mother said.

She said she knows they often sit at the rear of the bus.

Megan said the news of the school bus accident — a parent’s worst nightmare — was buffered a lot because she was first contacted by passerby Jacci Brown before CCS officials called about 20 minutes later.

Brown, who lives in rural Champion, Nebraska, was on the highway and came upon the accident.

Megan said Brown called her, telling her of the accident and said, “I have your girls and they are okay.”

Megan said she was waiting for the bus to get home so she could take the girls to ballet classes. After Brown’s call, she got in her car and drove to the scene about 20 miles away.

She called Nathan, who was in a tractor, and he came shortly after.

“I think if I had been called by the school first without knowing their condition, I’d be rushing to the hospital not knowing what I would find,” she said.

Brown’s call gave her some peace of mind, she said.

When she arrived on scene, she held her girls for awhile and eventually took them to the hospital herself.

They were treated and released.

The Wenzlick girls stayed home from school the day after the accident. Penelope returned to class Thursday and Italy on Friday, their mother said.

They didn’t get there by school bus, however.

Megan said she will be taking them to and from school now but believes they’ll eventually get back on the bus.

“I think they’ll be okay,” she said.

Eleven of the 12 students on the bus were taken to the hospital after the accident either be Imperial EMS ambulance, an Imperial Volunteer Fire Department vehicle, a CCS van or by parents. 

The accident happened shortly before 4 p.m. as students were being bussed home after the school day.

Three of the students were later life-flighted out, according to Chase County Sheriff Kevin Mueller’s report.

Three helicopters and a plane came to Imperial for those transports, Mueller said.

Last week, Mueller’s office confirmed two of the three students flown out had been released from area trauma centers and are home. 

The third remained in a Denver hospital.

Bus driver cited

According to a Sept. 30 release from the sheriff’s office, driver of the CCS bus, Keith Cranwell of Champion, 39, was cited for failure to yield the right of way and careless driving.

Mueller said the citations were issued after they completed the preliminary investigation. 

Cranwell will appear in Chase County Court on Oct. 26 at 1 p.m.

Mueller said more information may be released as the investigation concludes. 

In a recap of the accident, Mueller said the school bus, a 2020 Integrated CES owned by Chase County Schools, attempted to make a left-hand turn from the highway when it collided with a 1992 Peterbilt semi pulling a fully loaded grain trailer driven by 20-year-old Chance D. Lotspeich of Venango, Nebraska. The semi is owned by KAK Inc. of Champion and was traveling northbound on the highway.

The semi impacted the rear passenger side of the bus, causing it to rotate 90 degrees and overturn onto the driver’s side.

The Imperial Volunteer Fire Department used its jaws of life equipment to widen the rear door opening of the bus, from which most students were removed.

One student was removed from the hatch at the top of the bus, Mueller said.

Week of Oct. 5

Several students at Chase County Schools in Imperial, Nebraska, are recovering this week after a school bus and semi-trailer accident about 4 p.m. Sept. 27.

The school bus, traveling south on the Champion Spur 15A highway, was taking students home after the school day with 12 children on board ages 5 to 15, said Sheriff Kevin Mueller, whose office is heading the investigation.

The majority of passengers and driver were transported to Chase County Community Hospital with a wide range of injuries by Imperial EMS and a fire department vehicle, he said.

A CCS school van came to the scene to transport a few students who were on the bus. 

Three students were air-lifted later Tuesday to regional trauma centers after three helicopters and a plane were sent to Imperial for the transfers, Mueller said.

His office is working with the Nebraska State Patrol to reconstruct the accident scene, while the NSP Carrier Enforcement Division inspected both the bus and semi.

Mueller said the bus and semi were impounded for the investigation after being removed from the scene around 10 p.m. Tuesday.

Mueller said he returned to the scene Sept. 28 at the intersection of the highway and Road 328, about 4 miles southwest of Imperial, to reconstruct the accident with NSP officers.

The sheriff’s office preliminary investigation indicates the school bus, a 2020 Integrated CES owned by Chase County Schools, attempted to make a left-hand turn from the highway when it collided with a 1992 Peterbilt semi pulling a fully loaded grain trailer. The bus driver was Keith D. Cranwell, 39, of Champion, Nebraska.

The semi, driven by 20-year-old Chance D. Lotspeich of Venango, Nebraska, is owned by KAK Inc. of Champion and was traveling northbound on the highway.

The semi impacted the rear passenger side of the bus, causing it to rotate 90 degrees and overturn onto the driver’s side, Mueller said. 

After striking the bus, the semi continued north a short distance before leaving the roadway, crossing the ditch and coming to rest near the Cooper and Jana Bollman home. 

The bus was turning into the Bollman driveway to drop off the Bollmans’ 5-year-old kindergartner when the crash occurred.

It was a scary situation, Jana Bollman said.

At the time, she was looking out of their south-facing window when she saw the semi coming through the trees and toward their home.

“I thought, what’s going on?” she recalled.

She said she grabbed her two younger children to get out of the way. After the semi had stopped, she said she walked out the front door and saw the collection of people and students at the end of their driveway.

It was then she saw the overturned bus that had been blocked by the trees. She spotted her son on the driveway with the others. He was unharmed, she said.

A photo she took later from inside the home shows the semi within about 2 feet of striking the house. 

On Sept. 28, Mueller said his office is still in the preliminary stages of the investigation.

In addition to Mueller, his deputies and the EMS, the Imperial Volunteer Fire Department and roads department employees assisted at the scene.

Mueller said the Wauneta EMS was contacted to help transport possible patients but  that call was later canceled.

School issues statement

CCS Superintendent Adam Lambert issued the following statement Wednesday morning, Sept. 28:

“Chase County Public Schools is profoundly saddened by the accident that occurred Tuesday and involved a school district vehicle transporting Chase County students. 

“At this time, the accident remains under investigation. Prior to the conclusion of that investigation, it would be premature to provide further details. The school district and appropriate authorities will continue to collaborate to investigate and support the affected families. 

“We want to thank the emergency responders, law enforcement and the community for the rapid response to this matter and the support provided to all involved and affected. We will have counselors and other staff members available at school to work directly with students addressing this matter.”

Press release from Chase County Sheriff Kevin E. Mueller

The Chase County Sheriff’s Office has completed the preliminary investigation into the motor vehicle accident involving a Chase County school bus and semi on Sept. 27. The subsequent results of the investigation led to the Sheriff’s Office citing the driver of the school bus, Keith Cranwell, for failure to yield the right of way, Nebraska. Rev. Stat 60-6,147, and Careless Driving, Nebraska Rev. Stat. 60-6,212. He was given a court date of Oct. 26 at 1 p.m. at the Chase County Courthouse in Imperial. The investigation is still ongoing at this time. 

At the time of this release, it is our understanding the three children who were transported to regional trauma centers remain in the hospital recovering from their injuries. The other eight children have been treated and released. More information may be released as the investigation concludes. We would like to thank the Chase County Community Hospital, Imperial EMS, Imperial VFD and the Chase County Emergency Management for their exceptional professionalism and cooperation during the course of this incident. 

We would also like to thank the Nebraska State Patrol for their assistance and expertise during our investigation. We think it is also important to acknowledge the good Samaritans who stopped and helped the children immediately following the accident until first responders could arrive. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and their loved ones as they heal from this traumatic event.