Five students with the Exira Community School District and their bus driver went on a wild ride this morning after the bus they were in was hit by a car southeast of Exira. Superintendent Rod Montang says the incident happened around 7:30. Montang says a parent pulled their car out a driveway too fast, and didn’t see the bus coming over a hill.
The car t-boned the bus, and the rear wheels of the bus rolled over the front end of the car, which tore out the drive shaft of the bus. Montang the driver had to work to keep the bus on the road.
“The bus driver was very fortunate that she kept the bus on the road, but I have to envision there was a period of time when she was driving on two wheels to make that happen,” Montang says. The driver of the bus was identified as Peggy Venteicher, of Audubon. Montang says she suffered some strains from hanging on to the steering wheel, and will likely be off work for a couple of days.
The students suffered scrapes, bumps and bruises, but no serious injuries were reported. They were brought to the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic for treatment and later released. The driver of the car was not immediately identified, but Montang says she is “a great supporter of the school district, and has kids who have graduated from the district over the years.
By Ric Hanson, KJAN Atlantic