School bus crash in Bemidji sends children to hospital

Updated: 11:48 a.m. | Posted: 09:32 a.m.

A Wednesday morning school bus crash north of Bemidji sent 30 children to the hospital.

According to Superintendent Jim Hess, Bemidji School District bus No. 25 was hit by a car and went off the road north of Northern Elementary School.

He said all 30 children on the bus were brought to Sanford Medical Center for evaluation. Most had minor bruises and lacerations. Five children with more serious injuries were taken by ambulance and one was air lifted.

He said one child had facial lacerations, another sustained a broken arm, and one child may have some internal injuries. The bus driver was also hurt in the crash. At this point, Hess said, none of the injuries appear to be critical.

"We contacted all the parents and guardians," he said. "And we have school psychologists waiting to talk to the students about this accident, and ease their fears."

Shannon Westhoff, a spokesperson for Sanford Medical Center, said there's a waiting area at the hospital for parents, and a hotline -- 218-333-6040 -- for parents to call.

Hess said, most of the students involved in the crash were from the Red Lake Nation. They were on their way to Northern Elementary.

Investigators say the bus was headed South on Irvine Avenue when the driver of an eastbound car ran a stop sign and hit the side of the bus. The bus lost control and tipped over in the ditch. The driver of the car is in serious condition at Sanford Medical Center.

The bus has already been cleared away. And most of the children have been picked up from the hospital by their parents. A few, Hess said, are headed back to school.