Motorist Killed in Kentucky Head-On School Bus Collision

A 27-year-old man died Wednesday after his Buick Century crossed the centerline of State Route 1389 in Hawesville, Ky., and struck a Hancock County Schools bus carrying five students and a bus monitor.

Kentucky State Police investigating the accident give this account:

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Georgia School Bus Driver Killed in ‘Tragic’ Parking Lot Accident

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About 4:30 p.m., Donavon E. Elmendorf of Lewisport was driving east when, for an unknown reason, he crossed into the other lane and into the path of the 2003 Thomas-Freightliner school bus operated by Tracy Y. Rickel, 59.

The students and bus monitor reported no injuries and were released to their legal guardians on-scene. Rickel went to a nearby hospital for possible back injuries.

Elmendorf was pronounced dead at the accident site by the Hancock County Coroner’s Office. He had five passengers in the Buick, including three juveniles who were airlifted to Norton’s Children’s Hospital in Louisville. They were listed in stable condition.

Two other passengers, Ashley R. James, 23, and Cody M. Sipes, 26, both of Indiana, were treated at Owensboro Health, until Sipes was taken to University of Louisville Hospital.

State police closed the road for about five hours while they reconstructed the collision. The investigation is ongoing.