Cause of bus crash remains unknown

PELICAN RAPIDS, MINN. – The investigation into Saturday’s bus crash that killed a teenage girl from western Minnesota remained tightly guarded Sunday as a spring snowstorm delayed planned community memorial events until today.

As several inches of snow fell Sunday afternoon, mourners tied orange ribbons around poles and trees outside Pelican Rapids High School in memory of Jessica Weishair, 16, a sophomore from Barnesville, Minn., killed when a bus carrying band members flipped over during an all-night trip from Chicago to Pelican Rapids.

Four people — one adult and three students — remained hospitalized Sunday night, including one student in critical condition. The bus was carrying 43 students, four chaperones, a tour director and the driver when it flipped.

Authorities said it was too early to speculate on what may have caused the accident, which happened about 5:45 a.m. Saturday — about eight hours into the 12-hour trip — on Interstate 94 near Albertville on dry roads. State Patrol spokesman Lt. Mark Peterson said it remained unclear whether the cause was mechanical or human error.

Federal laws in place for more than 60 years don’t prohibit all-night driving, authorities said.

“It’s not uncommon for a driver to drive 10 hours on a charter [trip],” said Capt. Ken Urquhart, commander of the State Patrol’s commercial vehicle enforcement section, which oversees charter buses.

Federal laws limit charter bus drivers from driving more than 10 hours at a time.

The laws, which have been adopted by most states, require drivers to take eight hours off in a work cycle where they drive 10 hours.

That means they have to take a total of eight hours off between 10-hour driving stints or split the eight hours into two rest periods during a 10-hour drive, Urquhart said. The second option allows drivers to sleep or rest for as little as two hours before getting on the road again.

“I was never a fan of that … concept,” said Urquhart, who said he was commenting on the laws and not on this accident. “Two hours of sleep isn’t very much. Our biggest concern here is yeah, you might have somebody complying with the standards, but they’re not getting enough rest.”

The laws are the same for nighttime driving, although some states require a reduced speed come nightfall. Minnesota doesn’t.
New federal standards governing commercial vehicle drivers who transport nonhuman cargo are stricter, calling for drivers to take 10 hours off in one sitting between 11-hour driving shifts.

Representatives of the bus company involved in the crash, Richards Transportation Service Inc. of Moorhead, Minn., could not be reached for comment Sunday. The driver, Loren  D. Ernst, 69, of Moorhead, also could not be reached. He was treated for injuries and released after the crash.

Michael Moran, CEO of Reichert Bus Service in Baxter, Minn., and president of the Minnesota Charter Bus Operators Association, said he thinks current laws governing rest are sufficient. “For the most part, they work very well,” Moran said. “It’s a pretty safe industry.”

Moran noted that it’s common for charter-bus groups to travel long distances at night. “Your group can sleep on the bus and not spend a daylight day traveling,” he said. “They can spend it at a destination.”

'Everybody’s worn out’

The band students were in Chicago for the last few days and left there at 10 p.m. Friday, aiming to get back to Pelican Rapids by 10 a.m. Saturday, said Pelican Rapids schools Superintendent Deb Wanek.

Wanek said it’s unclear what rest schedule the bus driver was following or whether a second bus driver was on board; some bus companies use two drivers for long trips. A second bus carrying other band members was not involved in the crash.

It’s too early to decide if the district will establish new guidelines for school-related transportation, said Wanek.

“I don’t know what the investigation will find,” she said. “Once it’s done, that will lead us to the next steps we will take.

“Everybody’s worn out,” Wanek said. “Drained.”

4 still hospitalized

Meanwhile, several injured students were treated at various hospitals and released over the weekend.

Among those still hospitalized Sunday were chaperone Cynthia Hoyer, 49, and her daughter, Haley, 16, of Pelican Rapids, who were in stable condition at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids.

A man who answered the phone at the Weishair home Sunday said the family did not wish to comment. In addition to her parents,

Stacy and Kim, Jessica is survived by a brother and sister.

High school counselor Marlys Ebersviller released a statement about the young woman, whom she had known for four years at school and as her Sunday school teacher at Faith Lutheran Church in Pelican Rapids.

“An A student and a flute player don’t begin to describe this young woman,” Ebers­viller wrote. “Jessica was an ideal student for her teachers — engaged, conscientious, attentive and intelligent.”

Lee Brenna, an employee at the Cenex gas station, said Weishair started working there about three weeks ago. Her parents are well-known because of the barbershop and salon they own, he said.

“Just before she went on the trip, I was teasing her because she never said more than three words to me,” he said.

Because of Sunday’s storm, today’s start time for Pelican Rapids schools was pushed back by two hours. “We really don’t want to cancel [school] because we don’t want kids at home alone,” Wanek said.

An assembly for the 515 students at Pelican Rapids High School is scheduled for this morning  and a prayer service is scheduled for 5 p.m. in the school’s gymnasium.

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