A charter bus that was carrying high school students from Kenai, Alaska rear-ended a Department of Transportation truck that it was following. The bus ran into a ditch following the collision, seriously injuring the bus driver and shaken up several of the students.
The bus driver was 72-year old Vernon Brown . He was taken via helicopter to Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage for treatment of his injuries. The 60-year old driver of the DOT vehicle complained of pain in his back. His vehicle was towing a trailer on Richardson Highway and had slowed down to make a left turn. Though his turn signal was on, the bus driver apparently could not see the signal due to poor visibility caused by blowing snow.
The collision forced the bus into a ditch, and the bus driver was pinned and seriously injured. According to a spokewoman for the charter company, Unique Bus Charters, Brown has been with them for over 15 years and is also a driver for the school district. He reportedly has a very good driving record, and the company itself has never had a major driving accident before this one.
The bus was transporting 49 passengers, some of whom were from Kenai Central High School and some from Skyview High School. There were both students and coaches on board; all were traveling from the Kenai Peninsula to Valdez to participate in a ski meet.
In addition to injuries to the two drivers, one student was taken to the hospital after complaining of injuries suffered from being thrown against the back of a bus seat. The remainder of the students were transported by Valdez City School District buses to the Hermon Hutchens Elementary School where they were evaluated for injuries; some were later taken to the hospital.
The trip from Kenai to Valdez is roughly 450 miles, and the teams only compete once every four years because of the distance. Though the meet still lay ahead, the school district announced that in light of the accident, the teams were going to return home to Kenai.