Children died in school bus traffic accident

31 October 2011

A tank-truck crossed the middle line in an attempt to avoid a head-on collision and hit a bus carrying 16 students. KAMAZ truck tore the right side of the bus open. Two girls died and 14 other children were injured.
The accident took place in the afternoon of October 29 near Saratov at the Ust-Kurdyumsk highway. School children were riding in Hyundai bus from the city of Balakovo to Saratov to watch the circus show. The driver was driving observing maximum precautions, the speed was no higher than 40 km/h. Unfortunately, this did not help avoid the accident, which ended in a tragedy. In the left lane of the road there was a model five Lada car waiting to make left turn. Another Lada car of the ninth model was driving is the same lane. The driver was late to spot the parked car ahead of him and failed to slow down. VAZ-2105 was smashed from behind and rolled into the oncoming lane right under the wheels of approaching KAMAZ. The trailer carrying a tank with diesel fuel tried to escape collision and swung the steering wheel abruptly resulting in bringing the trailer to the oncoming lane and slitting open the side of the school bus moving in the opposite direction. As a result the fuel truck toppled. The bus was knocked away, its right side gaping with a large hole.
Two 12-year-old girls, Sasha Sirotina and Lera Shashkova who were sitting next to the window instantly died, 14 other children sustained multiple fractures, contusions and concussion. They were hospitalized. At the moment of intense impact the children were thrown out of bus seats. Many fall in the isle and between the seats. Two adults were seriously injured, a class head and a mother who accompanied touring children.
Investigation team, the ambulance, rescue workers, and road traffic inspectors were quick to arrive to the accident scene. Presumably the accident happened because of the fault of a 49-year oil driver of the ninth model Lada car who did not observe the speed limit, did not keep a safe distance and thus triggering the sequence of events that led to car accident which claimed the lives of two children. He was detained on the grounds of the Article 91 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Medical tests confirmed that neither he nor other motorists had alcohol in the blood at the time of the accident.
Yet the investigators had many questions to the organizers of this ill-fated trip. The bus Hyundai was not belonging to the school, it was a regular shuttle bus and the kids went to the circus using this transportation vehicle against a private agreement between the parents committee and the driver. The bus was not accompanied by a police car, as required by the traffic rules, the cabin was not equipped with seat belts which could prevent the tragic scenario and injuries.
The next day after the accident at the Ust-Kurdyumsk highway a meeting was held in regional traffic police office. This meeting was attended by the chief car inspectors of Saratov, Saratov region and representatives of the department to investigate the accident. A detailed inspection of the technical condition in passenger transportation means began in Saratov region. A close attention was paid to the buses transporting children.

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