Bus in fatal crash was not school bus

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The bus in which four people died outside of Springfield on Thursday was not a school bus, as some media reports said.

The vehicle was a white shuttle-type paratransit bus carrying adults with special needs. Three of the passengers and the driver of the bus were killed when the bus was struck by a tractor-trailer that had lost control and crossed the median of a snowy highway.

Some national and even international media outlets quickly picked up the story, initially reporting that the vehicle was a school bus. Some even specified that those killed were children; in fact, the victims were adults ranging in age from 28 to 61.

The bus passengers were returning to a special-needs center where they live from a vocational center.

The truck driver and six of the bus passengers were taken to hospitals to be treated for injuries.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol was investigating the crash. Alcohol was not believed to be a factor.

“Troopers are reminding motorists to use extreme caution when driving on snow covered roadways,” the patrol said in a statement.