SPRINGFIELD — The condition of the driver who crashed head-on into a Springfield City Schools bus Tuesday afternoon is improving, according to Springfield Police.
The woman driver, who is in her 30s, appears to have gone across the center line before she struck the bus in the area of East High Street and Glenn Avenue. Her condition was upgraded to stable condition Tuesday night, Springfield police said this morning.
Police are not releasing the driver’s name, but investigators do believe speed was a factor in the crash.
News Center 7 and the Springfield News-Sun has requested on-board camera footage from Springfield City Schools and are awaiting the district’s response to the request.
The bus driver was not injured, however one of the four children aboard the bus was taken to a local hospital for a head injury that was not believed to be life threatening, police said.
John Hill, who lives on East High Street where the crash occurred at Glenn Avenue, said he ran from his residence to the bus first to check on the children, then went to check the woman who was trapped in the car.
Springfield fire rescue crews had to cut her out of the wreckage.
“They were looking around. They were all scared” but they weren’t crying, Hill said of the kids on the bus.
The bus driver, whom he called an angel, “was great with them kids. She did a good job with them kids.”
Hill said he was in the house when he stood up to hear the “BOOM!” and see the car spin after hitting the bus head-on at the intersection of East High Street and Glenn Avenue around 4:30 p.m.
