Yesterday, December 5, on highway 74 in Illinois, lost control of the truck rammed the bus Normal Community West High School.
By words a press-the Secretary of state police Illinois Tracy Lillard, the accident occurred at about half past eight p.m. between Bloomington (in) and Downs (Il). The bus went after the game to Champaign Central high school basketball team.
The accident killed 2 people: 72-year-old Charles Crabtree, a volunteer in the basketball team, and 34-year-old truck driver (whose name was not reported).
We just spoke with the ISP, here’s what we know:
Schoolbus transporting Normal Community West HS Girls basketball team was hit head-on by a semi just after 8:30pm
-Semi was traveling on the wrong side of the highway
-Several students have been airlifted to Peoria and Bloomington pic.twitter.com/Ls2rmNKXPL
— DaLaun Dillard (@DDillardTV) December 6, 2018
In the accident injured 10 people, including 8 students. All of them with no life-threatening injuries in the emergency order were taken to a local hospital. Coach Steve Price was taken to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria (Il) with multiple fractures.
«Looking at the state of that bus, we probably witnessed a miracle,» said assistant head of school McLean, mark Daniel, noting that, judging by the photos, the front of the car completely demolished.
1 adult is dead and multiple people are injured after a bus carrying Normal West High School’s JV girls’ basketball team was struck by a semi truck traveling in the wrong direction on I-74 in McLean County, IL, according to @ILStatePolice. pic.twitter.com/HLTdzzamRG
— Kurt Chirbas (@kchirbas) December 6, 2018
According to the Director of schools Dave Johnson, deceased Charles Crabtree has always supported the school sports teams.
«Charlie worked many years as a bus driver for 5-th block, and he had a special bond with the students, said the news stunned Johnson. He did a lot of additional things, for example, brought candy. Of course, the students appreciated what he did.»
According to Daniela, Crabtree has a daughter who works in the school district as an assistant administrator.
Lillard noted that they did not know why the truck was driving in the wrong direction. The representative of the law enforcement agencies have not released the name of the truck driver.
