Girl, Driver Killed In School Bus Crash Identified (Indy)

Indy Channel ^ | March 12, 2012

[digger48]

INDIANAPOLIS -- A bus driver and a 5-year-old girl were killed and at least 10 more students were injured early Monday in a school bus crash on Indianapolis' east side. About 50 students were on board a bus carrying Lighthouse Charter School students that crashed into a bridge abutment just after 7:40 a.m. in the 900 block of South Emerson Avenue, near Prospect Street.

Bus driver Thomas Spencer II, 60, of Indianapolis, and Donasty Smith, 5, were killed.

Ten more people were injured, two boys critically. Four people were extricated from the bus. The critically injured students were taken to Riley Hospital for Children.

[digger48]

slideshow at link.

this picture from Fox News...

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/03/12/1-kid-driver-die-in-ind-school-bus-crash/

[Carriage Hill]

Sad. Prayers for the dead and their families.

Watch this: http://rmirror.net/r/videos/comments/q5hu9/car_accident_nsfl/

No one survived it (except maybe the semi-driver).

[Jack Hydrazine]

Looking at that particular video the SUV got into the bow shock of the box van next to it, the SUV over compensated, skidded, and went into the oncoming lane right into the semi. They were instant road pizza for sure.

[Carriage Hill]

You’re spot-on with that analysis, JH. Being on an ice/snow-covered road didn’t help, either. At least it was quick...

[nascarnation]

Underpass was built in 1917 with solid concrete pillars between lanes.

They need something like the resilient “SAFER” barrier.
Inexpensive, robust, and very effective. Designed by Univ of Nebraska with funding by Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

[Spunky]

Prayers for the families.

[FrdmLvr]

Wouldn’t be a bit surprised if the driver was distracted by all the acting up on the bus. I wouldn’t drive a bus for anything, especially in our district. Our busses are always late because the drivers have to pull over so frequently to settle the kids down.

[Spunky]

I watched that video and I am in shock. My heart is pounding like I had just been there.

How is it the car behind would have been video taping the car ahead?

[Carriage Hill]

JH made a very excellent observation about what caused it, on Post#3.

Maybe they were friends of the (former) people in that SUV? I don’t know *why* they were filming at that exact time. The clip ends there; no follow-up which I can see, but I don’t use FB or those other sites, so I didn’t see any comments.

What a horrible thing to happen on a road trip. But that snowy/icy road looks very treacherous. And it was deadly.

[Spunky]

"But that snowy/icy road looks very treacherous. And it was deadly."

That is why I do every thing I can not to have to drive in the snow and ice.

[boop]

WHY did you post that video? I’m going to have nightmares for a week.

[dr_lew]

I believe this was the view from the bus approaching the crash site. Looks dangerous. Maybe it was a trick of perception where the driver just didn't see the center post, although he'd presumably driven the route many times. Or maybe he got blocked into it. It did look like he was in the left lane, which wouldn't have been the cautious choice.

[fieldmarshaldj]

RIP.

[Carriage Hill]

See Spunky’s reply in Post 10 - BE VERY, VERY CAREFUL ON ICY/SNOWY ROADS AT HIGH SPEED.

I’ve “almost” been in several of those near-death situations on such roads, and stay home now, at 62, until the roads are clear, unless its slow residential/city driving. Nomore high speed trekking on those surfaces, especially with 20-ton semis coming the other way.

Awful, wasn’t it?

[nascarnation]

I’m a bit surprised actually. That was acceptable engineering 100 yrs ago but most of those bridges have been torn our and replaced by now. At the very least they need some type of crush structure on the approach.