The bus driver, Angela Spiker, 57, of Rushville, and the semi-truck driver, David Coufal, 72, of Browning, Ill., were killed. The three children on the bus — Maria Miller, 5, Andrew Miller, 3, and Noah Driscoll, 3, all of Rushville — were also killed. The bodies will undergo a post-examination, Terry L. Millslagle, the Schuyler County coroner, said at a news conference.
“Schuyler County is a small county,” Schuyler County Sheriff Bill Redshaw said at the same news conference, “… so when you have a loss like this, it’s devastating. It’s quite a tragedy.”
There were no other children on the bus, Illinois State Police Capt. Jody Huffman added.
State police are investigating the cause.
The Schuyler-Industry Schools district, to which the school bus belonged, will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it will send a team to conduct a safety investigation into the incident.
Schuyler County is home to about 6,800 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Around 3,200 people live in Rushville, according to the city, which is about 215 miles southwest of Chicago.
Credit: Source link
