Date: 9/27/2008 7:38 PM
By RICK CALLAHAN
Associated Press Writer
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ The driver of a school bus struck by two dump trucks in rural northern Indiana is devastated that the four special-needs students she was taking home died in the crash, a relative said Saturday.
Debbie DuVall, 46, of Idaville, was seriously injured when the Twin Lakes School Corp. bus she was driving was struck Friday afternoon by two trucks about 70 miles north of Indianapolis.
Her nephew, Ryan DuVall of Fort Wayne, said Saturday that his aunt remained in intensive care but that her injuries were not life-threatening.
He said she was alert and conscious when she arrived at the hospital and was grief-stricken when told that the children she was driving home had died.
“The first thing she asked about was the condition of the kids. She wanted to know how the kids were, and the news was devastating for her. They were very dear to her,” Ryan DuVall said.
“Her family is feeling blessed that she came out of this the way that she did, but at the same time our thoughts, and especially hers, are with the families.”
The four children, ages 5 to 10, lived in nearby Monticello and attended schools in Logansport that catered to their special needs, Indiana State Police said.
The victims were identified by police as 5-year-old Lauren Melin, 9-year-old Kale Seabolt, and Trevor Ingram and Tyler Geiger, both 10.
Friday’s crash occurred when a Mack dump truck swerved to avoid a motor scooter that had stopped or slowed along U.S. 24 west of Logansport. The truck clipped the 15-passenger bus, which flipped on its side and slid into the path of a second Mack truck that struck its roof.
The bus then slid into a ditch and came to rest, its front end and roof crushed.
All four students and DuVall were wearing seat belts or sitting in a child safety seat.
State police Sgt. Tony Slocum said investigators returned to the crash scene Saturday to take photographs, make measurements and scour the crash site for evidence they may have overlooked after Friday’s crash.
State police experts were examining the crushed wreckage of the bus and the two dump trucks for any mechanical problems that could have contributed to the crash, he said.
Routine toxicology tests are pending on the three drivers. The driver of the motor scooter, Raymond Gust, 59, was not tested because he was not technically involved in the crash, Slocum said.
Gust had stopped or slowed to turn into the driveway of his home on the north side of the highway just before the crash, Slocum said.
In the coming days, Slocum said, troopers will conduct additional interviews with witnesses, Gust and the truck drivers, Terry Dixon, 53, and Joe Magers, 44, both of Logansport.
When she is well enough to speak to officers, DuVall will also be interviewed.
Slocum said it’s too early to speculate on the possibility of charges in the crash. Once the report reconstructing the events that led to the crash and the various witness accounts are compiled, a Cass County prosecutor will determine whether to file charges.
“We’re not leaving any stone unturned. We owe that to the families, at least, to make sure we’ve covered all the bases,” Slocum said.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
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