AUGUSTA TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — After a school bus full of elementary children crashed due to icy road conditions in Washtenaw County Thursday afternoon, 6-year-old Toni Gardette had to be seen at an urgent care for a possible concussion.
She says the entire ordeal scared her and her friends.
The crash happened around 4:30 p.m. in Augusta Township on Talladay Road near Bunton Road. The bus was bringing students home from Lincoln Consolidated Schools.
About 12 kids and the bus driver suffered minor injuries, officials said.
“Some kids were just crying scared to death. Took a pretty good slam and we’re just so grateful there are no major injuries," Augusta Township Fire Chief David Music said.
Toni attends Bishop Elementary School and was nearly home before the crash happened.
“There was a big pile of ice and then (the bus driver) slid and it made me scared 'cause I hit my head on the window super hard," the first grader said. “They were screaming and crying."
About 30 kids were on the bus.
According to Music, the school bus slid off the road and rolled into a ditch. The male bus driver suffered lower back injuries and had to be taken to the hospital.
“He said 'it’s gonna be OK, everybody,'" Toni said about the bus driver after the crash.
7 News Detroit reporter Ruta Ulcinaite met the Gardette family outside of Van Buren Urgent Care just hours after the incident. Dad Anthony Gardette says he ran to pick up his daughter from the scene of the crash after he heard what happened and it was an emotional day.
"I literally just started crying. Everything went through my head. I couldn’t — I just wanted to get to my daughter," Anthony Gardette said.
The family says they're frustrated with how the situation was handled by the Lincoln Consolidated School District because they only learned of the crash from other parents, social media and the news.
“I haven’t gotten a call. Nobody told me my child was in a bus accident, like we had to figure that out ourselves," mom Rilinda Gardette said. "I feel like it's a slap in my face and it's like how do I trust a school system with my child like that?"
In a statement, Lincoln Consolidated Schools Superintendent Robert Jansen said:
"At approximately 4:15 pm this afternoon, we were notified of an accident involving Bus #31. After dropping off a student, the bus was accelerating and hit an ice patch, causing it to slide off the roadway into a ditch and roll onto its side. At the time of the accident, 30 students were on board. Thankfully, only minor injuries have been reported, and all students were promptly assessed by emergency personnel.
We are cooperating fully with authorities as they investigate the circumstances surrounding this incident. As this is an ongoing investigation, we will not be commenting further on personnel matters at this time.
The safety of our students remains our top priority. We will be reviewing all transportation safety protocols to ensure the well-being of our students and staff moving forward.
We want to extend our gratitude to the first responders who assisted at the scene and thank our community for their patience and understanding as we work through this situation. Additional updates will be provided as more information becomes available."
The Gardette family says their patience is running thin and their daughter will not be taking the school bus anymore. They say school should have been closed due to road conditions or the roads should have been treated in the rural areas. Music says that's tough to do in cold temperatures and on dirt roads.
“In Augusta Township, we only have three or four paved roads. Everything is dirt and with the cold, the salt doesn’t really work when it gets to a certain temperature," he said.
Meanwhile, Toni says she will try to remain strong despite the scare.
“I’m not gonna be scared and don’t cry," she said.
