Rear-End Collision While Unloading
At 3:35 p.m. you are stopped in the right lane of a residential street with the red lights and stop arm out. Fourteen students are aboard; two have just stepped off and are walking away from the bus. A pickup strikes the rear of the bus at about 30 mph. You feel a jolt and hear crunching metal. There is no smoke or fire, the rear emergency door opens, and your driver door opens. One student holds her neck and says it hurts; another has a bloody nose; the rest are shaken but walking. The radio works, but dispatch does not answer. Your cell phone shows two bars. The pickup driver is out of his vehicle and yelling. The pickup's front bumper is crumpled, and traffic is starting to back up.
1. What are your immediate priorities, and should you evacuate?
Read the worked answer
Secure the bus first: parking brake, hazard lights, engine off, keys secured. Check for fire, smoke, fuel leaks, and traffic danger. Call 911 before moving anyone. A suspected neck injury should not be moved unless there is immediate danger such as fire, smoke, or a secondary collision risk. Because the bus is stopped in a travel lane and traffic is backing up, a controlled evacuation to a safe point away from the roadway is reasonable if it can be done without dragging or twisting the injured student. Use the rear emergency door if the front is blocked, and support the injured student's head and neck while moving only if evacuation is necessary.
2. How do you manage the injured students and account for everyone?
Read the worked answer
Keep the student with neck pain as still as possible and wait for EMS unless the bus is unsafe. Apply direct pressure or a cold pack to the bloody nose if the student is stable. Take the roster and count all 14 students at the assembly point, then separately verify the two students who had already stepped off before the crash. Do not let students wander back to the bus or into traffic. Assign a responsible adult or older student to keep the group together while you deal with responders.
3. What notifications and documentation are required after the scene is stable?
Read the worked answer
Call 911, then notify dispatch, the transportation supervisor, and school administration using the cell phone if the radio is unanswered. Exchange required information with the pickup driver and police without arguing or admitting fault. Complete a crash report, student injury reports, and a loading-zone report. Note the time, location, weather, lighting, stop-arm status, student positions, injuries, and witnesses. Photograph the scene only if it is safe. Preserve the bus camera video and do not discuss fault with the other driver.