(In an update to our earlier reports) The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says eight children, two adults, and a teenager were injured during a collision this (Monday) morning, between an SUV and a SWITA Bus. The accident happened at around 7:46-a.m. on Fairview Road, just west of Buck Creek Road, as the bus, driven by 58-year old Virgil Koontz, of Lewis, was traveling westbound.

The bus was struck head-on by a 1998 Chevy Blazer, driven by 15-year old Charity Lynn Williams, of Atlantic, as she was traveling east on Fairview Road. Cass County Sheriff Darby McLaren told KJAN News Koontz saw the SUV approaching and had stopped just before the collision, a move which likely reduced the number of injuries.

Photo courtesy Mike Kennon, Cass County EMA

Williams, Koontz, and a second adult and eight children who were aboard the SWITA bus, were all transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital by Medivac Ambulance, where they received a medical evaluation.

Damage to the SWITA bus was estimated at $2,000, while the SUV sustained $4,000 damage. Williams was cited for Operating on Wrong Side of Roadway.