Nearly a dozen children and a bus driver were rescued following a near tragedy in Douglas, Kansas when their school bus overturned into a creek. The driver immediately called 9-1-1 for emergency help while the children climbed out of the bus’ emergency roof hatch and waited for emergency teams to arrive. There are reports that both the driver and one student were taken to the hospital following the accident, which apparently occurred when the driver attempted to drive through water that had flooded the road from the Muddy Creek. The creek had overflowed its banks after heavy rains had fallen in the area.
According to local meteorologist Jerilyn Billings more than three inches had fallen over the previous 24-hour period, and at the time of the accident there were many roads that were still under water. The accident took place at a low-water crossing. The driver was taking the children, who were ages 13 and younger, home after school and had already dropped off approximately half of the children on his route when he crossed the bridge, and apparently the rushing water caused the bus to overturn into the creek.
Investigators indicate that the water on the road was two feet deep at the point where the bus attempted to cross the bridge. The force of the rushing water pushed the wheels into a curb and the bus flipped into the water, where it landed on its side.
Reports indicate that the older children in the bus worked to pry open the emergency hatch and then helped the younger children up to safety. When emergency personnel arrived on the scene, the decision was made that the water in the creek was flowing too quickly for them to utilize rescue boats. Instead lines were used to cross to the bus and the children, where a life jacket was placed on each child before they were pulled to safety on the shore.
The 60-year old driver was in the water for a long time and was hospitalized over concerns of hypothermia, and though one child was taken to the hospital for bumps and bruises and all of the children were cold and wet, none were reported hurt. All of them were returned to their parents the same day. Children on board the bus reported having felt a bump immediately before the bus overturned into the water.