RUSHVILLE, IL – In a horrific accident in western Illinois, a school bus and a semi-truck collided, leading to the tragic deaths of five people, including three children. The school bus, moving west on U.S. Route 24 at Parkview Road on Monday, around 11:30 am, veered off its lane and collided head-on with the incoming semi-truck, as per the Illinois State Police. The impact of the deadly crash caused both vehicles to burst into flames.
Rushville, a small city approximately 60 miles from Springfield, was the site of this fatal accident. The bus driver, the truck driver, as well as the three student passengers on the bus were declared dead at the scene. The State police confirmed that those were the only occupants in the bus at the time of the accident.
Schuyler County Sheriff Bill Redshaw expressed the collective grief during a press conference. “There’s not really words at this time that can be said. When you have a loss of life like this, it’s devastating,” he mournfully added.
The student victims attended Schuyler-Industry Schools. The district released a heartrending social media post on Monday afternoon. “It is with a heavy heart that we announce our school community has lost both staff and students in the traffic incident involving one of our school buses this morning,” the post read. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and our community.”
The schools in the district have canceled classes until Wednesday, March 13th. They plan to provide counselors and support staff to aid students and teachers.
Autopsies will be conducted at Springfield Memorial Hospital where the victims’ bodies were transported, informed Schuyler County Coroner Terry Millslagle. The identities of the victims are yet to be officially released.