A USD 290 school bus was involved in an accident this morning. Franklin County Emergency Communications Center received a call about a vehicle accident involving the bus just before 7:15 this morning, April 21. The school bus turned onto the 100 block of West 12th Street where it left the roadway and struck a tree. The bus was carrying 11 juvenile passengers on board and minor injuries were reported. None of those with injuries were transported from the scene by EMS. The driver, 38-year-old Stephen Arney, from Ottawa, was issued a citation for inattentive driving.
Arney was also the driver of a USD 290 bus involved in an accident in December of last year. On December 14th, he was driving a bus in the 2100 block of Idaho Road, near Homewood, when, according to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department, the bus hit soft gravel, causing it to leave the roadway and strike a tree. At the time, Superintendent Dr. Ryan Cobbs credited the newly installed seat belt system on all Ottawa busses as a major factor in preventing injuries in the accident.
