The driver of a Crosby-Ironton school bus that crashed Thursday may have suffered a medical issue, the Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office reported.
Bus driver Gerald Fisher, 68, Crosby, was transported to Cuyuna Regional Medical Center in Crosby following the crash. Injured in the crash was George "Bud" Hanson, 70, Ironton who was
sitting at his desk inside his business when the bus ran off the road and pushed a trailer through the building wall. Hanson, 70, was treated and released from Cuyuna Regional Medical Center in Crosby, a hospital official confirmed Thursday. The 27 schoolchildren on the bus were uninjured.
The school bus crash was reported at 3:20 p.m. Thursday at Bud's Small Engine Repair, 20233 Hematite St.
The bus first crashed into a parked pickup truck in front of the business, pushing it sideways, before crashing into two trailers, pushing one through the side of the building. The pickup truck knocked down a power pole in the process, and live electrical wires were lying in the road for a time.
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Hanson was knocked to the ground by the wall when the trailer was pushed into the building, the sheriff's office reported.
Reached Thursday night, Crosby-Ironton Superintendent Jamie Skjeveland said a call was placed to all parents with a recorded message, detailing what was known at the time. Skjeveland described the incident as serious.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the homeowner and the bus driver," Skjeveland told parents in the message.
School buses used by the Crosby-Ironton School District are owned by Crosby-Ironton Transportation Inc. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the company operates 26 school buses and five vans. No previous crashes were listed on the company's safety record.
The crash is being investigated by the sheriff's office with assistance from the Minnesota State Patrol.
Also assisting at the scene of the crash was the Crosby Police Department, the Deerwood Police Department, Cuyuna Regional Medical Center Ambulance and North Memorial Ambulance.
