October 24, 2008 – 1 Killed, 31 Students Injured in School Bus Crash
A school bus collided head-on with a pickup truck Thursday, killing the driver of the truck and injuring 31 students in Mount Pleasant Township, Pennsylvania, police said.
According to witnesses, the truck driver, identified as 43-year-old Brian Nehus, crossed the double yellow line and drifted into the oncoming lane. Nehus apparently attempted to swerve out of the path of the bus, but was hit head-on, one student said. Police commented that speed was likely a factor in the crash.
Of the 48 students on the Burgettstown-area school bus, 31 suffered injuries, police said. One witness said that all but one student was seated when the crash occurred. That student suffered injuries to her back, while other students sustained bloody noses and cut lips from hitting their faces on the back of the seats in front of them upon impact, medical officials said. The injured students were transported to Pittsburgh hospitals.
Witnesses said that the truck contained a cooler full of cold beer, but it is not yet clear whether alcohol played a part in the accident. Police are conducting an investigation into the cause of the crash.
