High School Student Struck, Pinned Underneath Bus
NEW LENOX, Ill. (STMW) - A southwest suburban high school student bicycling to school Thursday was hit by a bus and became pinned beneath it, authorities said.
The Lincoln-Way Central High student was taken to Silver Cross Hospital in Joliet with non life-threatening injuries, New Lenox Fire Chief Jon Mead said. The bus driver, who wasn't identified, was also taken to the hospital, but her condition was not known, school officials said.
Deputy Police Chief April DiSandro said the 17-year-old junior was riding his bike to school and was "not paying attention" to the school bus that slowed to make a right turn from Cedar Road onto Second Street. The bus driver was not ticketed, and none of the 30 students on the bus was injured, she said.
The incident happened about 7:45 a.m., DiSandro said.
The injured student, who was pinned under the front axle of the full-size bus, is "very lucky," Mead said. A tow truck helped raise the bus off the student, a process that took about 30 minutes, he said.
"We are deeply upset about the accident of one of our students. We hope the student and bus driver recover quickly. We are cooperating with the accident investigation," Supt. Lawrence A. Wyllie said in a school district news release.
The injured student's mother and all parents of students on the bus were notified, school spokesman Stacy Holland said.
Students were aided by emergency personnel as they exited from their bus into a second bus, which took them to school. They were met by Lincoln-Way Central school counselors, Holland said.
New Lenox police are investigating.
