Share

Driver dead, several injured after school bus crash at DIA

Police say a bus driver was speeding before she crashed head-on into a concrete pillar at Denver International Airport.

Advertisement

Police said the bus circled the airport and struck a concrete pillar. The bus was carrying the Legacy High football team from Broomfield. Three coaches sustained significant injuries and are still hospitalized. Officials at Denver Health said they have five patients: two are in critical condition, two are in serious condition and one is in fair condition.

Uninjured students gathered with parents Sunday evening inside the airport as crash crews worked on the bus.

This was unexpected behavior; therefore, police are investigating the possibility that the school bus driver might have been experiencing a medical emergency when the crash happened at the Denver International Airport.

The driver was traveling 30 to 40 miles per hour (48 to 64 kmh), too fast for that stretch of roadway, Farr said.

School officials say Legacy’s homecoming week will have special poignancy because of Sunday’s crash, which killed the driver and injured 18 passengers.

Airport spokeswoman Heath Montgomery said the bus carried 28 students and four adults. He suggested traffic congestion at the airport could have played a role in the crash.

Joe Ferdani, a spokesman with the Adams 12 school district, on Sunday night said he did not have more specific information on the coaches’ injuries.

As of late Sunday, authorities had not released any of the bus driver’s medical history.

According to the Associated Press, the bus involved is with Adams 12 Five Star Schools.

The station reported that six patients in fair condition were taken to Children’s Hospital Colorado, while officials with University Hospital said they had five patients, but it’s unclear what their conditions are. The hospital wouldn’t release more details. “We don’t know why”, he said.

Advertisement

When Legacy High School senior Keanna Smith learned about the school bus crash, she stated that she was “worried” as they all were “like a family”.

Driver killed, 18 hurt in Denver airport school bus crash