FREDONIA, WI – Eight students were hospitalized after their school bus was struck by a driver in rural Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, on Monday. It happened just before 7:25 a.m. at an intersection in the Town of Fredonia.
According to the Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office, a 32-year-old woman from West Bend, Wisconsin driving a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee drove through the stop sign. As the bus was traveling north, the Jeep hit the bus in the center of the driver’s side.
The crash caused the bus to spin 180 degrees, overturn onto its passenger side and land in a ditch along the highway. Authorities say the bus was from the Random Lake School District, carrying 36 students whose ages range from elementary to high school.
Random Lake School District Superintendent Michael Trimberger said the most serious injuries suffered by the eight hospitalized students included concussions and broken bones. None of the injuries were considered life-threatening.
Trimberger said his greater concern was students being traumatized by being involved in a bad crash while on a school bus, and the district was working to bring in additional mental health specialists for meetings Tuesday with students at all grade levels.
The driver of the Jeep also had a 33-year-old passenger from Random Lake. Both the driver and passenger received minor injuries and were transported to a local hospital.
The bus driver, identified as a 53-year-old from West Bend and an employee of the school district, suffered minor injuries and was transported to a local hospital.