The sheriff has cited a bus driver for causing a crash that injured a young child and brought power lines down, leaving students and the driver temporarily trapped on the school bus near McHenry.
The Nunda Rural Fire Protection District and McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded around 4:33 p.m. Monday to the area of Colby Point Road and South Justen Road in unincorporated McHenry for a report of a school bus crash.
Nunda Rural Fire Protection District Public Information Officer Alex Vucha said fire crews arrived a short time later and found a full-sized school bus in the ditch just south of Colby Point Road on South Justen Road.
The McHenry School Districts 15 and 156 bus had struck a utility pole, which brought wires down and created additional tensioned utility lines above the vehicle.
Firefighters kept the driver and two children, who were between the ages of 4 and 6, safely on board until ComEd could secure the power to the energized wires, Vucha said.
The occupants were safely removed from the bus shortly before 5:30 p.m. All three occupants were evaluated by paramedics.
One child was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries. The second child was released to their parents at the scene and the driver was uninjured, Vucha said.
Fire crews remained on scene for nearly two hours monitoring the removal of the school bus and ComEd’s electrical work.
The 65-year-old male driver of the bus was issued a citation for failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash, according to McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Communication Specialist Emily Matusek-Baker.
The bus slid off the roadway to the north while driving through the curve on South Justen Road and struck a speed limit sign and a utility pole.
Matusek-Baker said no impairment was noted, the road conditions were wet and the driver was driving too fast for conditions.
Vucha said the fire district appreciates the assistance from the Cary Fire Protection District, the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and the 911 dispatchers.
“We were nearly positive the live wires were not an immediate hazard, but out of an abundance of caution we kept the occupants on the bus until the power was confirmed to be fully secured. Our priority was making sure everyone stayed safe while we managed the scene,” Nunda Rural Fire Protection District Chief Mike Keenan said.
“Given the circumstances, this was the best possible outcome. We also appreciated the representatives from the school district who came to the scene, stayed engaged, and worked collaboratively with our crews throughout the incident,” Keenan said.