News

BHS's music students have a close call in an accident on Hwy 83

By Scott Wagar

05/08/2012

Thanks to the quick response of a bus driver over the weekend 50 music students from Bottineau High School survived a bus accident without being harmed after a truck pulled out in front of the school bus while crossing a highway.

The accident occurred on Friday at the intersection of Hwy 83/23 in between Minot and Bismarck when a tanker truck came off Hwy 23 from New Town and crossed over Hwy 83.
The bus driver, who is employed with Hartley’s School Buses out of Rugby, made an attempt to get to the right side of the road in attempt to avoid the tanker truck as it crossed over Hwy 83. However, the tanker was too close, and the school bus front left side hit the back end of the tanker.

No one was injured in the accident, which also included music instructors Nancy Olson, Dalonnes Roemmich and a number of chaperones for the trip.

The school bus however was damaged enough that Hartley’s had to tow the bus back to Rugby. A new bus was brought to the scene, which took the students to Bismarck, who were going there for the State Music Festival over the weekend.

Bottineau’s school district was short drivers and buses for the musical festival, so the school chartered a bus and driver from Hartley’s to transport the students to the event.     
Jason Kersten, superintendent of the Bottineau School District, is pleased that no one was injured in the accident and that the school had such a professional driver at the time of the incident.

“I am so thankful none of the students, teachers and chaperones on the bus were injured,” Kersten added. “The driver did a great job with the bus considering the situation that took place. Without the driver’s fast reaction this could have been very dangerous.”