One man is dead after an SUV and a school bus full of children crashed in western Oregon earlier this week.
The bus driver has since been issued a citation for allegedly making an unsafe turn, authorities said.
On Monday, Feb. 23, just before 10 a.m. local time, officials responded to reports of a two-vehicle collision on Highway 22, near the intersection of Highway 51, in Polk County, the Oregon State Police said in a statement. A preliminary investigation revealed that a school bus affiliated with Salem-Keizer Public Schools was traveling west when the driver, 33-year-old Chandra Jean Milkovich-Howard, attempted a left turn onto Highway 51.
The school bus — which had 30 students and two adults on board, including the driver — then entered the path of a Honda Pilot going east, resulting in a head-on collision, authorities said.
The driver of the SUV, Luke Richard Brittan, a 68-year-old man from Independence, Ore., was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The bus driver and one student suffered minor injuries and were transported to a local hospital, authorities added.
The section of the highway was impacted for four hours after the fatal crash as officials conducted an investigation. Milkovich-Howard “was issued a citation for the unsafe left turn,” police said. The investigation is ongoing, and once completed, it will be forwarded to the district attorney’s office for consideration.
Later that day, Aaron Harada, a spokesperson for the school district, confirmed that the school bus had been taking students from North Salem High School, located in Salem, Ore., to Western Oregon University in Monmouth, Ore., for a field trip, according to the Salem Reporter.
“This is a terribly tragic event. Our hearts and thoughts go out to the family of the driver who lost their life,” Harada said in a statement shared with the paper. “We are fully cooperating with the investigation while we also supporting our staff and students who were on board at the time of the incident.”
The Oregon State Police and Salem-Keizer Public Schools did not immediately respond to Media requests for comment.
The school bus was one of two buses on its way to the university. The other school vehicle was not involved in the crash, according to the outlet. Following the incident, the students on both buses were transported back to their high school, and counseling and emotional support services have been made available.
“Incidents involving school transportation require coordinated communication, careful triage, and strong interagency teamwork,” said the Salem Fire Department, which responded to the scene.
