12 students were injured when a semi crashed into a school bus on U.S. 231 in Owen County, Monday morning.
Just before 8:00 o’clock Monday, a semi tractor-trailer, driven by 35 year old Christopher Lee Reinhardt of Terre Haute, slid across the center line and struck a northbound Spencer-Owen County School bus carrying 31 passengers. After striking the bus head-on on the front driver’s side, the truck then continued skidding down the entire left side of the bus, pushing the bus off the roadway and in the direction of a tree-line.
The school bus driver, 70 year old Veri Keith of Spencer, suffered head and hand injuries and was transported to I.U. Health in Bloomington for treatment.
Twelve of the passengers, ranging in age from 7 to 17, were transported to area hospitals for treatment from glass cuts and complaint of pain to head, chest, and arms. The remaining passengers were transported to school where they were checked out by the school nurse.
Indiana State Police and emergency personnel at the scene praised the bus driver. Trooper William Brown said that if Keith had not kept the bus upright and out of the trees more students could have been injured and the injuries could have been more serious.
Reinhard was cited for driving left of center and driving too fast for road conditions.