FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) – Indiana State Police officials say crews are investigating a pair of crashes on northbound I-69 near Goshen Road Friday morning.
Just after 10 a.m., ISP responded to a multi-vehicle at the 308 mile marker in Allen County, just south of the Goshen Road exit.
The crash involved two school buses from the Mississinewa Community Schools located in Grant County. At the time of the crash these two school buses were transporting fourth and fifth grade students to the Shrine Circus at the Allen County Memorial Coliseum.
At the same time, there was a secondary crash involving a Grant County Sheriff’s Department patrol car and a passenger car. The GCSD patrol car was serving as a rear escort vehicle behind the convoy of school buses headed to the circus.
The preliminary investigation revealed that there was a lengthy line of school buses and police escort vehicles attempting to exit the interstate at the Goshen Road exit. The GCSD deputy observed the congestion ahead and backed off his patrol car to create a safety buffer between the school buses and approaching traffic.
The two buses at the rear of the backup became involved in a rear end collision, and then an approaching Chevrolet Malibu passenger car crashed into the rear of the Grant County patrol car.
Of the 65 occupants on the two school buses, there was only one child that reported a very minor injury to her head. All other students, chaperones, and both drivers were uninjured.
The two school buses sustained enough damage that they had to be towed from the scene.
Mississinewa Community Schools expedited two replacement buses to the scene.
At approximately 11:15 a.m. all students, chaperones, and drivers were transferred onto the replacement buses, and then transported to Parkview Hospital (PRMC) in Fort Wayne.
As a precaution, all students were medically evaluated at Parkview prior to being transported back home by the Mississinewa School Corporation.
The crash scene investigation and clean up effort took about two hours, and resulted in a steady four to five miles of interstate traffic backup. Traffic was opened back up just before noon.
The crash remains under investigation.
ISP made a statement thanking Parkview:
“The Indiana State Police would like to publicly commend the PRMC Emergency Room medical staff, the administrators, and the public safety officers for a job well done. The professionalism and efficiency demonstrated while handling this influx of of unexpected patients into the ER was surely comforting for all the involved children. PRMC even sent them off with a bagged lunch, bottled drinks, and snacks for their bus ride home!”
