Crash between school bus, gravel truck on Manitoba highway sends 2 to hospital

A school bus in this undated file image.

Two people were sent to the hospital on Wednesday morning following a crash between a school bus and a gravel truck near Warren, Man.

According to the RCMP, the crash took place around 8:30 a.m. on Provincial Road 227 at Road 5 W.

Police said the bus was travelling south on Road 5 W when it entered the highway and was hit by a westbound gravel truck.

The bus driver sustained serious injuries and was taken by STARS Air Ambulance to the hospital.

The RCMP noted that there were students on the bus, with one Grade 11 student being taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The other students were picked up by parents.

SECOND SCHOOL BUS CRASH IN ONE WEEK

This is the second school bus crash to happen in Manitoba in one week. On Monday, a six-year-old was hit by a school bus outside of Steinbach Regional Secondary School and sent to hospital.

In a statement, Manitoba Public Insurance said on average there are 60 school bus collisions each year, with an average of 14 injuries resulting form those crashes.

“While there is no indication that these collisions are becoming more common according to MPI data, the recent collisions serve as a reminder of the importance of school bus safety," the statement says.

Manitoba School Board Association's executive director Josh Watt told CTV News Winnipeg school boards will review the crash assessments from MPI and RCMP.

“This week’s accidents have touched all of us very deeply and our hearts go out to all of those involved in them.”

He says safety for students and staff is their upmost priority.