A school bus aide was hospitalized Monday afternoon after the bus she was riding in crossed SR-40 in Heber City and collided with a commercial motor vehicle, according to authorities. Four children were aboard the bus at the time of the crash, and the driver reportedly never saw the semi coming.
According to KJZZ, Utah Highway Patrol officials said the school bus driver crossed SR-40 without seeing the oncoming semi truck. Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Randall said the bus driver simply did not see the commercial vehicle before the two collided. The bus aide was injured in the crash and taken to an area hospital, though her name, age, and specific injuries have not been released.
It remains unclear whether the bus driver or any of the four children on board sustained injuries in the collision. Details about the commercial motor vehicle involved, including its driver and that driver's condition, have also not been made public.
A Pattern of Utah School Bus Crashes
Monday's crash follows an earlier serious Utah school bus incident. In December, a pickup truck collided with two Wasatch Academy school buses on U.S. Route 89 north of Ephraim, and accounts of the aftermath diverge sharply depending on the outlet. The station's report noted that one driver was killed, two people were critically injured, and 14 others were hospitalized, while a separate account from Fox 13 put the total injured at 20, with two in critical condition.
Officials with the Department of Public Safety said the pickup truck veered left into the northbound buses, grazing the first one before striking the second head-on, per the same account. The two buses were carrying a combined 36 students and two drivers at the time, according to Fox 13. The first bus, which was only grazed, had 19 students aboard and reported no injuries, while occupants of the second bus, described by one outlet as all 18 people aboard and by the other as 19 students plus the driver, were taken to a nearby hospital, with two flown out by helicopter in critical condition.
The pickup driver, identified as 43-year-old Melvin Beckstead, died at the scene, Fox 13 reported. Troopers believed fatigued driving could have been a possible cause of that crash, according to the earlier account from KUTV.
What Remains Unknown
The exact cause of Monday's Heber City crash, along with any citations or charges that may follow, has not been established. It's also unclear which school district operates the bus involved or whether it was equipped with seat belts. No primary law enforcement statement beyond the account relayed to KJZZ has been made public as of this writing.
