FAIRVIEW, Utah — An accident near Fairview between a car and school bus with children inside led to one person being killed after they were airlifted to the hospital Wednesday.
The Utah Highway Patrol said the school bus had stopped in the northbound lanes of US-89 to drop off children when it was hit from behind by a Honda Accord. UHP officials said the bus's lights were on when it was struck.
“Their lights and stop signs were on for the school bus,” said Sgt. Jared Jensen. “There were two students that actually had exited the bus and were getting ready to cross the road.”
The driver of the Honda, 42-year-old Kinton Draper, was transported to the hospital in critical condition where he later died. The children on the bus were checked out by medical personnel, but none needed to be taken to the hospital.
The car crashed into the back of the bus at full speed, probably around the 55 miles per hour speed limit, said Sgt. Jensen.
“Definitely something that’ll be part of the investigation, whether a cell phone was being used or whether there was impairment involved,” he said. “We don’t have those details yet.”
Despite the flashing stop signs, drivers often don’t stop for school buses, said O’Dee Hansen, Superintendent for the North Sanpete School District.
“We have incidences almost on a daily basis where somebody violates the bus stop,” he said.
Parents can always be assured their kids are safe on the bus, said Hansen.
“They’re built sturdy for a reason, and you limit the amount of kids that are on the bus for a reason, so you prevent any kind of injury,” he said. “The bus drivers are trained to know to look all the different directions before they let kids on and off the bus.”
A different bus was called to the scene to pick up the children and bring them home.
I-89 reopened to traffic hours after the incident, at around 6:30 p.m.
