On Sunday, August 28th, a child was killed and six others seriously injured when a school bus traveling on an Arizona highway was rear-ended by a big rig truck. The bus was then pushed into a van and became entangled in a pileup. The eastbound lanes of I-40 were shut down for hours as a result of the crash.
The accident happened at 9:27 a.m. in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 40, west of Sanders, located in Apache County. This stretch of highway is normally considered to be remote. The Holbrook Indian School released a statement on the crash, saying students and staff members were on a trip when the school bus accident occurred.
“This is a very sad day for the Holbrook Indian School community; one of our students died, and six others were injured in a school bus accident this morning. According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, our school bus slowed down in traffic near another crash when the bus was struck from behind by a semi-truck. Our bus was pushed into the vehicle in front of it. The bus was transporting a group of staff and students on a field trip to Window Rock, New Mexico. Our concerns now are for our parents and families as we uphold and grieve with them. We ask that you would be patient and respectful as we work through this as a school community, and we solicit your prayers on behalf of everyone impacted by this tragedy,” the statement read.
19 people were on board the school bus. One child on board the bus was confirmed to have died, but it’s unclear as to whether the other injured victims were adults or children. No one else was seriously injured.
Details of why the accident occurred and how it could have been prevented are unknown at this time. Unfortunately, major accidents between large trucks and other vehicles commonly result in serious injuries and death. As the accident is investigated and more details become known about how the crash occurred, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us to learn if it may be possible to take legal action if it’s discovered that negligence played a role.