UPDATE @ 6:30 p.m.:
The second driver involved in the fatal bus crash on Dixie Highway and Manchester Road was named by OSHP as Amber Payne, 39, of Middletown.
Payne was travelling eastbound on Manchester Road when she struck the bus on the left side.
Her station wagon came to a stop in the roadway while the church bus continued northbound, travelling off the left side of the road and striking a street sign and utility pole.
The driver of the bus, Archie Cheesman, was not wearing a seat belt and was pronounced dead on scene.
Some passengers, ranging from 2 months to 41 years of age, were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Payne was treated for minor injuries.
The crash remains under investigation by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
UPDATE @ 1:35 p.m.:
There were 30 children on the bus owned by Franklin First Church of God, according to Doyle Burke, Warren County Chief Coroner’s investigator.
Some of the bus passengers were taken to local hospitals for medical checks, some of which were taken by private vehicles and not by ambulance, Burke said. The exact number of people taken for medical evaluations was not known.
Troopers are working to figure out the exact cause of the crash and which vehicle ran a traffic light at the intersection.
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UPDATE @ 12:52 p.m.:
Doyle Burke, Warren County Chief Coroner’s investigator, has identified the man who died in a crash on Dixie Highway earlier today.
Archie Cheesman, 59, of Middletown, was the driver of the church bus that was involved in the crash, Burke said.
Emergency crews on the scene are waiting for Duke Energy to remove or stabilize a power pole before the bus can be towed.
UPDATE @ 12:40 p.m.:
Ohio State Highway Patrol Sgt. Christina Hayes reported that aside from one fatality, there were no other serious injuries reported in the crash.
Preliminary investigation showed that the church bus was traveling northbound and the other vehicle involved was traveling eastbound before the crash occurred. The cause of the crash is still under investigation, however.
Hayes said that the road would be closed for an unknown amount of time as Duke Energy responds to the wires down in the area. She also said that businesses and homes in the area likely would not have power.
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Duke Energy’s outage map shows that there is an outage affecting about 560 people in the area.
Another local church helped take those in the bus to their church.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol, Middletown Police and the Warren County Sheriff’s Office all responding to the crash.
UPDATE @ 11:50 a.m.:
No other serious injuries were reported in a crash involving a church bus and another vehicle earlier this morning.
There were children on the bus at the time of the crash, but aside from a fatality there were no other serious injuries, OSHP reported.
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Our crew on the scene said that the intersection at Dixie Highway and Manchester Road remains closed while crews work around live wires knocked down by the crash.
UPDATE @ 10:57 a.m.:
Dispatchers said that a church bus and another vehicle were involved in a fatal crash this morning.
Reports indicate the bus ran into a pole.
The crash was reported around 9:44 a.m., the dispatcher said.
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INITIAL REPORT:
Ohio State Highway Patrol dispatchers said that a crash at Dixie Highway and Manchester Road was fatal.
No additional details about the crash were immediately available, but the dispatcher said the coroner was on the way.
Scanner traffic indicated that at least two people may have been transported to the hospital.
We have a crew on the way and are working to learn more.
