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Two injured in crash involving school bus in Crystal Lake

A crash involving a school bus in Crystal Lake resulted in one driver being sent to the hospital and a “minor injury” for a child on the bus, the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.

The crash occurred near Crystal Lake Avenue and Hamilton Drive in Crystal Lake, the sheriff’s office said on Twitter. The driver of the other vehicle involved was taken to the hospital.

Prairie Grove School District 46 notified parents Wednesday morning that one of its buses was involved in a crash, according to the text alerts. All students on the bus were assessed by medical personnel and transferred to a new bus.

Another bus was sent to complete the other bus’s route and pick up any remaining students, according to the district texts to parents.

A Prairie Grove District 46 school bus was involved in a head-on crash involving a passenger vehicle Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021, on Crystal Lake Avenue.

A Prairie Grove District 46 school bus was involved in a head-on crash involving a passenger vehicle Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021, on Crystal Lake Avenue. (Alex Vucha for Shaw Local/)

District 46′s transportation director was on scene to help facilitate with the new bus, and a backup driver was brought in, Superintendent John Bute said. Bute and Prairie Grove Elementary Martha Maggiore were at the site as well.

Bute said 24 students were on the elementary bus involved in the crash. Of those, two were taken home by their parents, while the rest of the students came to school on the replacement bus.

Whenever a bus is involved in a crash, Bute said, it is district protocol for the driver to get a drug and alcohol screening to ensure they were not impaired.

Although Bute did not yet know the results of the drug test on Wednesday morning, after speaking with the bus driver, he said she was not under the influence at the time of the crash.

“My driver did everything that she needed to do to protect the students. She comforted them, she got them off the bus, away from the from the crash and protected them until help arrived,” Bute said. “She did everything she was supposed to do to maintain the safety and security of the students that were there.”

This is a developing story. Check nwherald.com for updates.

Source: The Daily Chronicle

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