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School bus rolls in collision with minivan in Box Elder County

Posted at 10:18 AM, Nov 29, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-29 23:48:36-05

BOX ELDER COUNTY, Utah — A school bus carrying four special needs students flipped on its side Tuesday morning as it was headed to Garland Elementary.

"The roads weren't icy," said Box Elder County Sheriff Kevin Potter. "It seems the driver just failed to yield for some reason."

The driver Sheriff Potter is referencing was in a mini-van that collided with the bus, t-boning it and flipping it on its side.

"We're fortunate that all of our students were buckled in so they weren't thrown around when the bus was tipped over," said Box Elder County School District Superintendent Ron Tolman. "

Tolman says there were no injuries to the students and, as a precaution, the bus driver and an aid were taken to the hospital to be checked on. Tolman said buses for special needs students have seat belts but other buses in the district don't. He said it's that way with most districts in the state.

"Why don't regular school buses have seat belts?" wondered Lindsay Reay, who heard about the news Tuesday afternoon while waiting outside to pick up her kids.

Tolman said that the National Transportation Board hasn't required them. But he said seeing pictures of the bus flipped on its side Tuesday and hearing about the lack of injuries is enough to make him wonder.

"It sure makes you consider it," Tolman said.

It's a move many parents and students think is long overdue.

"My kids have even asked, 'why do I have to wear my seatbelts in the truck but not on the school bus?'"