Children seriously injured after school bus and semi crash in southwest Nebraska

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (KNOP) - A school bus full of children collided with a semi-tractor trailer Tuesday in rural southwest Nebraska, causing a wide range of injuries - with three children more seriously injured.

The crash happened Tuesday just before 4 p.m. between Champion and Imperial. The Chase County Schools bus was in the process of dropping children off after school and carried 12 students on board, ranging in ages from 5-15 years old, according to authorities.

According to the Chase County Sheriff’s Office, the school bus driver attempted to make a left-hand turn when it collided with a semi pulling a fully loaded grain trailer. The semi hit the rear passenger side of the school bus, causing the bus to rotate 90 degrees and overturn onto the driver’s side, according to a media release.

After striking the bus, the semi continued north a short distance before leaving the roadway, crossing the ditch, and coming to rest on a rural property.

The Chase County Sheriff’s Office said all passengers and drivers were transported to the Chase County Community Hospital with a ‘wide range of injuries’. Three children were taken to regional trauma centers.

The school bus was operated by 39-year-old Keith Cranwell of Champion. The semi is owned by KAK inc. out of Champion and was operated by 20-year-old Chance Lotspeich of Venango, Neb.

The Chase County Sheriff’s Office is still in the preliminary stage of the investigation and has requested the assistance of the Nebraska State Patrol to help with the inspection of both commercial vehicles and to reconstruct the accident.

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