HURON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Huron Township parents are demanding action after a crash Thursday morning sent a school bus sliding into a ditch, and police said the driver was trying to avoid potholes.
The crash happened around 8:36 a.m. near Clark and Judd roads, according to the Huron Township Director of Public Safety Everette Robbins.
Robbins said the driver was driving on the right side of the road to avoid the potholes when the road surface collapsed.
“This appears to simply be a case of the road being soft, and the driver took the appropriate actions to do what could be done to avoid something worse,” Robbins said in a statement. “We are thankful that all our kids are safe.”
Fifth grader Nellie Shay said students were frightened as they got off the bus.
“Everyone was like all scared and stuff, and everyone was like shaking, even me and my friends,” said Shay.
Photos taken by another student showed police officers and neighbors helping students off the bus.
Shay’s mother, Gloria Brown, said she received a call from her children’s school about the accident but did not realize it involved their bus until she saw images on social media.
“Someone happened to snap a picture of my son getting off the bus, and the next minute she jumped down and someone posted it on Facebook, and that’s how I found out about it,” Brown said.
Sarah Grossman was waiting for the bus with her daughter when it crashed down the street from their house. She immediately jumped in to help students get off.
“A really nice gentleman came by with some plyboards, set it down, and we just made it a habit of getting the kids safely down onto the road,” Grossman said.
Robbins said the bus was traveling at appropriate speeds and the driver was not texting or violating Michigan’s hands-free law.
Speed and intoxicants did not appear to be factors, he said, adding that officials quickly reviewed the bus’s interior camera.
Three students complained of minor injuries and were evaluated by medical workers at the scene before being released to their parents, officials said.
Other students were either transferred to another bus and taken to school or released to their parents.
The crash renewed complaints from neighbors and parents who said the stretch of Clark Road has been hazardous for years because of potholes.
Brown said she and other parents have repeatedly contacted state and local officials seeking road repairs.
Brown created a petition back in February, urging the county to address the issue.
“It makes me mad,” Brown said. “It infuriates me because we’ve been trying to put attention on this for so long, and for it to take this long for it to happen, that’s unacceptable.”
Another parent who has been raising awareness about the road conditions is Heather Riddle, a nurse who drove by the bus crash and stopped to check on the injured students.
“It was heartbreaking, and I don’t really feel like even the kids are put as a priority, I don’t feel like we as a community are put as a priority,” Riddle said.
Parents hope this incident will finally bring about permanent change.
“Now that this did happen, they better do something, because this can’t happen again. It could’ve been a worse outcome than it was,” Brown said.
Wayne County Department of Public Services Deputy Director Scott Cabauatan provided the following statement to Local 4 in response to the crash.
“Our primary concern is the safety of the students and the driver involved. We are relieved to report that the injuries appear to be minor and extend our support to everyone affected.
We appreciate the quick response of emergency personnel, and to our knowledge, the police investigation is ongoing.
Wayne County staff inspected the area and confirmed that the road is safe and fully open to traffic. We will continue to cooperate with Huron Township Police as they work to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.”
Wayne County Department of Public Services Deputy Director Scott Cabauatan