Shelby Township crash involves bus full of elementary school students, no injuries

SHELBY TOWNSHIP — A Utica Community Schools bus was involved in a crash in Shelby Township Oct. 13 on Schoenherr Road.

It is reported that no one was injured in the incident, which occurred on Schoenherr just south of 26 Mile Road. The bus with 46 students onboard was heading to Beacon Tree Elementary School just down the street when a minivan rear-ended it, police said. The minivan then caught fire, police said, but everyone involved was OK.

After the crash, another bus was brought in by the district to pick up the children and take them to class. Officials brought in additional support at the school for any student who might have needed it.

Beacon Tree Elementary Principal Jena Lenz released a letter to the community about the incident.

“I want to share with you that one of our buses was involved in an accident on the way to school this morning. Bus 56 was at 26 Mile and Schoenherr roads when it was struck by a car that subsequently was set on fire. Fortunately, no one was injured in the accident. We notified the families of students who were on the bus. A separate bus was sent to the scene to transport them to school. We had counselors and social workers available to the students when they arrived at school. I want to thank our entire team — the office staff, teachers, transportation, the UCS counseling department and auxiliary services — for the quick work and their focus on our students,” the letter stated.

She said the bus driver quickly removed the students from the bus to a safe spot.

“The school and our transportation leaders went directly to the site, and worked in partnership with the police department to make sure the kids were safe and taken care of. We also had social workers and counselors at the school for students who needed any assistance. The police and our team responded quickly and were focused directly on the needs of our students,” said Lenz.

Shelby Township Police Sgt. Mark Benedettini said via email that the driver of the minivan was given a citation for the crash.

In a coincidence, Oct. 16-20 is Operation Safe Stop, a statewide enforcement campaign to stop motorists from illegally passing school buses.

“Remember to slow down and stop for school buses and to treat the signs on a bus like a traffic signal. We will be enforcing and issuing tickets, our kids safety is our #1 priority. Drive safe Shelby Township!” the department stated in a press release about Operation Safe Stop.