It’s not a great start to the school year, nor a feel-good story, as more accident reports continue to roll in as the industry recognized School Bus Safety Week. Multiple collisions occurred — some fatal — across North America. While we likely missed some accidents, the following are what SBF was able to track this month. 

What follows does not include the one death and four-plus injuries from the first four days of October 2024. Accounting for those, the entire month of October saw a total of at least four deaths and many more injuries.

One Dead, Many Injured in Canada

Up in Toronto, one woman has died after being struck by a bus. It happened in the Upper Beaches as she was using a pedestrian crosswalk. A school bus turning left at the intersection collided with her. She left the scene with life-threatening injuries and later died at a hospital. The driver remained on the scene. Police requested information or dashcam footage of those nearby, but the investigation was ongoing as of the report. Rachel Turner was 22, and was remembered lovingly by those who knew her.

Later, on Oct. 28, another pedestrian was hit by a school bus in Toronto’s west end. His injuries were not life threatening.

The same day to the East, a school bus driver and multiple passengers received injuries near Saskatoon after a single-vehicle crash that left the bus upright in a ditch. The driver and six children were transported to a hospital, a Global News post said. Most injuries were not life-threatening, but six were serious.

Masked Trio Boards the Bus in N.C.

Oct. 8 in North Carolina turned one of any school bus driver’s fears into a scary reality: A trio of masked juvenile intruders boarded the school bus to launch an attack, according to ABC11. The Enfield Police Department was dispatched after a call from a parent whose child was aboard. While it’s unclear how many the group planned to target, one student was assaulted and received a cut on the face, according to one report. There are conflicting student reports about whether or not a gun was present. The driver told police he made verbal attempts to keep them off the bus but was unsuccessful. It appears that pre-existing conflict was already at play between those involved. The three suspects fled the scene by the time police arrived. About 20-30 students were still on the bus at the time. Southeast Collegiate Prep Academy administration said that they are “actively investigating the matter and reviewing our security protocols to prevent such incidents in the future. To reinforce our commitment to safety, we will be conducting a review of our bus procedures with both students and staff.” Investigators are planning charges against the three suspects.

Shots Fired in Pa.

In Pennsylvania, a school bus was struck by gunfire on Oct. 10 in Coatesville. Four people were targeting one student getting off the bus, according to CBS News. Students were on board, but no one was harmed. Multiple shots were fired; one bullet went through the windshield of the bus and one other hit the front grille. Two days later, one suspect was in custody and facing aggravated assault charges. Authorities were still looking for the other three as of the last update.

"We are investigating the source of it, but we believe there is a personal feud between... students at the school," Chester County District Attorney Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe said. "This is where we are as a society now, kids have access to guns at an unbelievable rate ... that they are subjected and feel subjected to ridicule on social media and other circles, and we are left in a position where we have kids leaving school early, apparently, to gang up and go shoot at somebody. This is just one symptom that we are seeing across the region and across the country that kids have access to guns, and we need to do something about it."

Dashcam Shows Wash. Crash

A Kitsap County school bus was slammed into by a driver on Oct. 17 in Washington. The driver hit another vehicle as well as they failed to stop at a red light, hitting left-turning traffic, said FOX13. The driver of the car went to the hospital with serious injuries. No students were on the bus, and the bus driver received minor injuries.

On Patrol pic.twitter.com/gHQfCOLVm6

— Kitsap Sheriff (@KitsapCoSheriff) October 16, 2024

Hospitalizations in Ill.

Two Bartlett High School students are in the hospital after being hit by a school bus on Oct. 18. One is in critical condition, FOX32 reported. The two were running alongside the bus as it pulled into a bus lane, falling into its path. A male student received a minor injury to his arm, but the other was not so lucky. She was in the Level 1 trauma center as of the last update.

School Bus/House Crashes in Ill. & N.C.

On Oct. 11, a Skokie, Ill., school bus crashed into a house after hitting a vehicle. An ABC7 story indicates that the driver was the only person on board the bus. Two people were inside the other vehicle and received minor injuries, and residents were in the house but remain OK. It’s not known what initially caused the crash. It’s the second time this year this has happened in the same city. 

More recently, on Oct. 30, a Durham school bus caused significant damage after colliding with a car, going off road, striking a power pole, and then smashing into a house. Hundreds lost power. No students were on the bus. Each driver was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries; no one in the home was hurt (CBS17).

Maine Crash Injures 16

More than a dozen students received minor injuries in Minot, Maine., when a school bus went into a ditch with 43 pupils on board. None of the injuries were serious. The cause of the crash is unknown, WMTW reported. 

Crash in N.Y. Injures 10

Orange County, N.Y. witnessed a school bus crash on Oct. 28, in which nine students and one adult were injured. The Crawford First Student school bus was hit by a Dodge truck with 43 Pine Bush students on board while the bus was making a left turn. All 10 injuries are minor (Daily Voice).

Fla. Crash Injures 1

In Lehigh Acres, a school bus and two cars crashed on Oct. 28, leaving the bus in a ditch. Only the driver of one car had injuries, but the extent is unknown. Wink News’ report says the bus cut in front of a Jeep, leaving the Jeep driver with not enough time to stop. Another driver in the car in front of the bus tried to avoid impact by driving into a ditch. No kids were aboard.

Fire Ravishes Bus in Calif.

In California, a Stanislaus County school bus was ablaze after the driver quickly caught the early warnings of an electrical fire. Said driver pulled over and got 10 children to safety. There were no injuries. The driver is being praised for their keen sense of smell and quick thinking (KCRA).

Bus Pins Truck in Md.

A pickup was pinned underneath a school bus in Prince George's County, Md. on Oct. 14., after it crashed into the back of the bus. The pickup driver did receive serious injuries and was sent to a hospital via helicopter. No children were on the bus at the time, and the bus driver is OK. No more updates on his or her condition have been released, according to WUSA9.

Child Rolls Bus Into Another in Mo.

In Missouri, a second grader crashed a school bus into another bus on school grounds, said a WHO13 report. No one was injured, and the crash was described as a “slow roll.” It sounds like the driver may have asked the children to practice what to do in the event of an emergency, and the 7-year-old was asked to take the wheel in case the driver wasn’t able to.

More Crashes Around the Country

Other school bus-related crashes happened throughout the month that resulted in minor injuries in Louisville, Ky., Lansing, Mich., Ball, La., Hartford, Conn., Horry County, S.C., Myrtle Beach; no injuries in Champaign County, Ill.; unknown injuries sustained by a motorcyclist in Baton Rouge, La.; and Westmoreland County, Pa., where everyone is fine after a pickup crashed into a bus and caught fire.