The Idaho Transportation Department says all lanes on Highway 55 have reopened following a school bus rollover crash Friday afternoon. The crash happened five miles north of Banks, closing traffic on both sides of the highway.
Idaho State Police say the bus rolled over with about 30 people on board. The bus was part of a YMCA summer camp program carrying children between 13 and 18 years old.
The bus was one of four involved in the summer camp program, according to ISP. None of the other buses were involved in the crash. The YMCA and state police have contacted all the families with children on board.
In all, state police say 11 children were injured. Seven sustained critical injuries while another four were not critical. All children on board the bus were taken to hospitals out of an abundance of caution.
Idaho News 6 Allie Triepke captured images of the bus being towed away from the scene, showing extensive damage to the front of the bus. Markings on the bus also indicate it was operated by Caldwell Transportation Co., Inc. We have reached out to Caldwell for comment.
Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise says it has received patients. St. Luke's Hospital says its staff are on standby to receive patients as well. We have crews on the scene working to learn more.
Treasure Valley YMCA President and CEO David Duro said later Friday that it had been a very challenging afternoon but that all the campers, both on the bus that crashed and on a bus that was behind it, had made it back to the Boise area. The Sunday to Friday overnight camp session had just ended and he said riding the bus is normally a great part of the experience for campers.
“It’s one of those experiences that every child should be able to enjoy safely and I don’t know what happened,” he said. “All we’ve been told is that it’s under investigation.”
The YMCA camp where children can engage in canoeing, archery, zip-lining and other outdoor activities opened in 2010 and is about 35 miles (56 kilometers) north of the crash site. The popular camp runs multiple sessions throughout the summer for kids between 2nd and 11th grades, and the YMCA frequently runs several buses full of kids to and from each session.
Another session is set to begin on Sunday. Duro said officials are now determining whether to hold it as scheduled. He said families always have the option of driving their children to camp instead of taking the bus.
“It's the first time we’ve ever had something like this and we hope it’s the last time,” he said about the crash, adding that they'll be awaiting any reports to review and see what can be done to make the journey safer.
The YMCA contracts with Caldwell Transportation to take kids on school buses to and from the camp, he said, adding that the company also transports many students to area schools throughout the school year. No one answered the phone at the company’s Boise location on Friday evening.
The closure lasted from about 3:00 pm until just before 7:00 pm, bringing the busy weekend traffic to a standstill on a 20-mile stretch of road between Banks and Smith's Ferry.
State Police say a log truck crash was also related to the traffic backup from the school bus rollover. No injuries were reported in that crash.
Drivers should check https://511.idaho.gov [511.idaho.gov] or the 511 app for updates.
This is a breaking story, more information will be reported as it becomes available.
