Published: September 27, 2008 06:30 pm      

School bus crash claims four lives

Two dump trucks hit bus after avoiding collision with mo-ped.

The woman weaved her way through traffic that was backed up for miles, and as she came up on the scene, she pulled her car off the roadway.

Several law enforcement officials walked over to the car to share with this mother the fate of her child.

As she heard the devastating news, she burst out screaming.

“Oh my God, no. Oh my God.”

Her child was one of four elementary school students who died as a result of an accident Friday on U.S. 24 east of Lake Cicott.

The four were on a Twin Lakes school bus carrying special needs students heading westbound toward Monticello.

Driven by Deb Duvall, the bus was returning home from Logansport schools, said Twin Lakes Assistant Superintendent Todd Bess.

“Even though they are Twin Lake students, they attend Logansport for their programs,” he said.

Parents were called to the scene to identify the children involved in the crash. Two grief counselors were also at the scene to help the parents cope with the news.

The children were identified as 5-year-old Lauren Melin, 9-year-old Kale Seabolt, and Trevor Ingram and Tyler Geiger, both 10, Indiana State Police Sgt. Tony Slocum said.

Slocum said Cass County Dispatch received the 9-1-1 call at 2:45 p.m.

The accident occurred when a dump truck from D&B Trucking Co. Inc. tried to slow for a mo-ped, driven by Raymond Gust, 59, making a left-hand turn into the driveway of a residence on U.S. 24, Slocum said.

The Mack truck, driven by Terry Dixon, 53, of Logansport, was unable to stop and swerved into the westbound lane, clipping the school bus. The bus flipped onto its side and slid into the eastbound lane where a second D&B dump truck struck the roof, causing the bus to slide into a ditch on the south side of the road, said Slocum.

The top of the bus was smashed down in the middle from the force of the collision. The hood of the second truck was missing and the front end was smashed in as well. Once traffic came to a stop, the first dump truck sat in the westbound lane facing the opposite direction with a blown tire. It barely avoided another vehicle driven by Sandy Tabler, who was directly behind the school bus when the accident occurred. Tabler’s vehicle ended up in a ditch on the north side of the road. No one in her vehicle was injured.

“It was this close from us,” she said, holding her fingers inches apart. “That’s why I got off the road as fast as I could.”

Multiple victims were trapped in the school bus and had to be freed by fire units from Logansport, Georgetown and Idaville.

Duvall was flown from the scene by Lifeline helicopter to Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne. She was the only survivor on the school bus. Slocum said she was listed in critical condition.

Neither Gust nor Dixon was injured, nor was the driver of the second dump truck, Joe Magers, 44, of Logansport.

“All three drivers will be tested for drugs and alcohol as a routine,” said Slocum. “As of now, we don’t believe drugs or alcohol were a factor.”

All four students and Duvall were wearing seat belts or sitting in a child safety seat, Slocum said.

“The impact was too severe for the restraints to save the children,” Slocum said.

The accident caused traffic to back up for miles, and Indiana State Police blocked off the roadway at the intersection of U.S. 24 and U.S. 35 just west of Logansport. Traffic was rerouted to avoid a traffic jam.

Logansport Municipal Utilities arrived on scene and shut off power from France Park to Lake Cicott. Cass County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Tom Wallace said the power was shut off as a precautionary measure, since the bus landed against a utility pole.

The Logansport Police Department, Cass County Sheriff’s Department and ambulance units from Logansport Memorial Hospital, Galveston and Cass County EMS all responded to the scene.

Reconstructionist Jill Rife from the sheriff’s department and Trooper Robert Good from Indiana State Police Peru Post were also on scene.

The accident is still under investigation by Indiana State Police.

Denise Massie can be reached at (574) 732-5151 or via e-mail at denise.massie@pharostribune.com