Chicago Area Local News

SALEM, Wis. (CBS) ― Most of the children injured when a semi slammed into a school bus in southern Wisconsin are back at home Saturday.

The Kenosha County sheriff's department says only one child remains at Children's Hospital with a fracture, but is expected to be released Saturday afternoon. The 51-year-old semi driver remains hospitalized in the intensive care unit at Freodtert Hospital in Milwaukee. He is expected to remain hospitalized for the coming days.

Sheriff's officials have said the trucker was either coughing or choking on soda when his rig came over a rise and ran into the bus, which had its emergency lights flashing.

All 14 children aboard had some injury, but only three were seriously injured. Also, seriously injured were the drivers of both vehicles.

The driver of the school bus was released from a local hospital Friday.

The child who was ejected while exiting the bus was also released Saturday morning from Children's Hospital in Milwaukee. 

At 5:15 a.m. Saturday, the roadway (Highway 50) was finally opened for regular traffic. The long delay was due to the excessive structural damage to the semi trailer. The damage and tearing led to structural collapse. As a result the trailer's load had to be removed on site. The combination of these issues led to the delay in vehicle recovery efforts.

The accident remains under investigation by the Kenosha County Sheriff's Department with assistance from the Wisconsin State Patrol.

Revisting the Incident
A semi truck crashed into a school bus on Highway 50 in Salem, Wis., near the Wisconsin-Illinois border Friday afternoon.

Sixteen people were injured, and the two most seriously injured were airlifted from the scene, according to Lt. Paul Falduto of the Kenosha County Sheriff's Dept.

A more than one 100-foot diesel fuel stain tells the story of just how powerful the impact was when a semitrailer plowed into the back of a stopped school bus loaded with 14 kids.

"As I pulled up I could see children scattered throughout the grass on the side of the road," said Sheriff Dave Beth of the Kenosha County Sheriff's Department.

The force of the collision spun the bus around and drove it into the median before the two vehicles finally came to a stop. The driver of the truck was reportedly distracted, possibly by a drink, and did not see the bus until he was about to crash into it.

The school bus was transporting children from Wheatland Center Grade School, according to a release from Falduto. All were between 6 and 13 years old.

Silver Lake Police Chief Dan Kingsley said the semi truck and a school bus collided shortly before 4 p.m. on Highway 50, 1/4 mile west of Highway B. Both vehicles were traveling eastbound.

CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli reports every person involved in the accident was injured in some way. A total of sixteen people were hurt – the 14 children on board the bus, the bus driver and the truck driver.

The 18-wheel semi truck, owned by Versicold Cascade DBA Wisconsin Logistics, slammed into the bus from behind as it was stopped near a driveway.

One of the most seriously injured children was trying to get off the bus in front of his home when the crash occurred.

"When the bus was struck in the rear end that child was ejected and ended up on the pavement," Beth said.

He and another seriously injured child were transported by medical helicopter to Milwaukee Children's Hospital.

More than 60 emergency responders answered the call and helped transport the children and two adults to five area hospitals.

The bus's driver and the driver of the semi were also seriously injured.

Joe Nowicki was one of the first witnesses on the scene.

"I was sitting at my desk and I was talking with another gentleman and we heard a big loud explosion," Nowicki said. "He was sitting by the window so he said, 'a bus just got hit,' and he went running out and then I called 911 right away and went running out there. The truck was partially on fire so a bunch of the guys from the shop came out and started putting the fire out on the truck. All the kids were screaming and getting off the bus."

"It was pretty horrendous," said Sgt. Gilbert Benn of the Kenosha County Sheriff's Department. "It could have been worse and we're thankful that so far there isn't anything to indicate that anyone is going to die from this accident."

Kayla Croswhite was just one of the students on that school bus, and Friday night the 13-year-old suffered burns on her body, and said she feels like she's been given a second shot at life and she plans to make the most of it.

"I thought I was going to die," Croswhite said. "People say your life flashes before your eyes, it's not really true. You just get really scared, you don't know what to think."

Croswhite said the ride home from school Friday afternoon started out much like any other. She and her friends were joking around and listening to music, but in an instant, all of their lives changed.

"All of a sudden there was just this loud noise and we, the bus, slid and there was fire," she said.

As fire raced up the aisle of the bus, Croswhite and other students scrambled to get to safety, older children helping the younger ones.

"My neighbor Kelsey was sitting in the seat and she said she couldn't breathe and so I just kinda helped her down," Croswhite said.

When she got off the bus, Croswhite said students were laying all over the places and frantic drivers were pulling over to help.

"They made me lay down because they thought something was wrong with my neck," she said.

Croswhite said the accident has taught her a serious life lesson, one she won't soon forget.

"I feel that I'm really blessed to have a second chance, and that everybody deserves to be treated the way they want, because they could be gone tomorrow," she said.

The Kenosha County Sheriff's Department, with assistance from the Wisconsin State Patrol, are investigating the scene and interviewing involved parties and witnesses, according to Falduto. The investigation is ongoing and it is unknown at this time what, if any, charges will be filed.

CBS 2's Kris Habermehl, Mike Puccinelli, Mai Martinez and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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