Three Ashdown School District students were injured about 7 a.m. Friday after the school bus was hit by a pickup as students were boarding the bus, according to officials.
The Ashdown School bus had stopped on Arkansas Highway 32 to allow students to board when the pickup hit the rear end of the bus and also sideswiped the passenger side.The bus was carrying about 15 students, said Ashdown School Superintendent Jason Sanders.
The collision occurred about 12 miles west of Ashdown near the intersection of Little River County Road 151 and Arkansas Highway 32. The driver of the school bus was Roy Burton.
The driver of the truck was Charles J. Dorse, 25, of Ashdown, according to the Arkansas State Police, the law enforcement agency investigating the collision.The pickup was owned by the Little River Rural Development Authority, according to Little River County Sheriff Gary Gregory. The pickup was towing a trailer and a lawnmower.
Dorse told authorities he was sneezing when he failed to see the bus and hit the right rear and then sideswiped the length of the bus. The pickup drove into a ditch and came to stop on a lawn. The truck was totaled.
One student boarded the bus and another was about to enter when the collision occurred, Gregory said.
"We were within inches of a bad situation being a lot worse," he said.
Both vehicles were westbound.
One student received a possible severe injury to the lower body and two students received moderate injuries such as bruises and cuts, said Dr. Joseph Parker, the emergency room physician at Little River Memorial Hospital in Ashdown.
Dorse received injuries to his right leg.
The student with the severe injury was transported to the CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System for additional treatment.
The moderately injured students were treated and released to their parents, nurse Lisa Arbour said.
An additional school bus was dispatched to pick up the students. The majority of the students were released to their parents, and some teachers familiar with the bus route helped students to return home, said Sanders.
"Mr. Burton did a fantastic job and is checking on the students this afternoon," Sanders said.
Parker praised the Little River Memorial Hospital staff in their response.
"We've practiced and the response of the staff was great," he said.
Sanders also praised the help of the fire departments, law enforcement and teachers.
The accident is being investigated by Arkansas State Police Trooper Dale Young. Charges are pending and the wreck remains under investigation.