OPP say the driver of a First Student school bus who was involved in a crash near Shakespeare has been charged with careless driving.
Police say 49-year-old Kevin Henry of Stratford, was traveling eastbound on Line 41 near Road 104 at around 8:00 a.m. Monday when the bus left the roadway, entered the ditch, struck several trees, and caught fire.
Inside there were six students, from Stratford Northwestern Secondary School.
Student Lisa Marshall was on the bus at the time of the collision and recounts the frightening ordeal.
“We were driving bus went off the road a bit we started going in the ditch, then we hit a farm laneway bounded up hit a tree windshield was smashed everyone got off and the bus caught fire,” said Marshall.
The students walked away with only minor injuries but, Henry was taken to an area hospital.
Const. Kees Wijnands, from Perth County OPP, credits the quick-thinking students who jumped to their driver’s aid by pulling him away before the bus caught on fire.
“Could have been a lot worse luckily it didn't catch flames immediately it gave the students enough time to evacuate the bus and talking to some students they talk about their school bus evacuation they talk about in grade school major part of school bus training with the students,” said Wijnands.
