Students suffer minor injuries in school bus accident in Lewis County

GARRISON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Some students suffered minor injuries when the school bus they were riding in Tuesday morning was hit broadside by a truck in Lewis County , according to a report in The Lewis County Herald.

The newspaper reports 74-year old James Meyer, of Silver Grove, was driving a Ford F-450 Super Duty truck east on the AA Highway around 7:00 a.m.  Investigators told the newspaper that Meyer apparently didn’t notice a Dodge Ram pickup truck had stopped in the eastbound lane to turn left onto KY 1306.  They report Meyer’s truck hit the right rear of the stopped pickup truck and continued to the right, hitting the school bus in its side while it was stopped at the intersection waiting to cross the AA Highway.

The report says Meyer was hauling six gasoline pumps, which were thrown from the truck when it hit the school bus, with some of the pumps striking the bus.  The Jaws-of-Life were used to get Meyer out of his truck.  He was not hurt, according to the newspaper.

The driver of the pickup truck, 78-year old Daniel Owen Cline, Senior, of Davenport, Florida, and his wife, 73-year old Wilma Cline, were not hurt, according to the report.

The school bus driver, 42-year old Katrina Lee Staggs, of Vanceburg, helped the 32 students on the bus get out safely.  They were loaded onto another bus that was traveling behind Staggs’ bus, according to the report.

One of the students on the bus was taken to Southern Ohio Medical Center by Portsmouth Ambulance after complaining of back pain.  Two other students were taken to a nearby hospital by their parents as a precaution, according to the report.

All of the other students who were on the bus were examined at the scene by medical personnel, according to the newspaper.

The truck that investigators say caused the accident is licensed to M&M Service Station Equipment in Newport, according to the newspaper.

It took two hours to clear the scene, according to the report.

*Note:  The accident scene photo that accompanies this story is courtesy of Dennis K. Brown, Publisher of The Lewis County Herald.