Numerous emergency response departments rushed to the intersection of CTH P and Morgan Road Tuesday afternoon where a school bus for the River Ridge School District collided with a dump truck while bringing students home from school.
    The bus, which is owned by Warco, collided with a a dump truck owned by Lepke Trucking of Chaseburg.
    West Grant EMS, Bloomington Fire, Patch Grove Fire, Lancaster Fire and EMS, Cassville Fire and EMS, Bagley First Responders, Fennimore Police, Grant County Sheriff’s Office, Grant County Emergency Management, Gundersen Tri-State Ambulance, Grant County Highway Department were some of the departments on the scene.
    According to the news release from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, the school bus entered the intersection from Morgan Road, and was heading northbound at the same time the dump truck was traveling west on CTH P.
    The accident was reported at approximately 3:55 p.m. 
    The collision took place, the dump truck exited the north shoulder of the roadway into a ditch and came to rest. The school bus was spun around, and remained in moving backwards, exiting the roadway, traveling through a ditch and barbed-wire fence, before coming to rest in a pasture.
    There were a total nine people on the bus, including the driver. One of the bus’ passengers was ejected, and transported by one of the rescue squads to an area hospital. Two of the bus’ passengers were taken by parents from the scene, one was treated and released at the scene, and the rest were transported by rescue squads to area hospitals. The names of the drivers, and passengers are being withheld at this time.
    Gundersen in Prairie du Chien, as well as Grant Regional Health Center in Lancaster were where the injured were transported to. Some media reports had some of the injured later taken to other hospitals via medical helicopter, that information was not in the sheriff’s office initial release.
    While emergency responders raced to the scene, also allowed into the scene were family members of the children who were on the bus.
    Also at the scene were River Ridge District Administrator Jeff Athey and Principal Clay Koenig, Athey holding a list of students who rode the bus. Athey noted that all families of the students were alerted to the accident soon after, and that they would be consulting with the district counselor and secretary on what efforts would follow, including also spending the evening to inform all staff of the accident.
    This is a developing story, and more information will be posted later on SWNews4U.com, as well as in the Grant County Herald Independent.