School bus drivers raise money, awareness after Rochester crash
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WISH) — Bus drivers often see cars that ignore signals and speed through bus stops, behavior that can result in tragedies like the deaths of three children and injury of a fourth child at a bus stop in north Indiana.
“They just try to get around you. They rush at what they do and this what comes of it,” said Howard Cutright, a bus driver for the Vigo County School Corporation.
After hearing about the three siblings killed in Rochester when a pickup hit them and another child as they were crossing the street to get on a school bus, drivers for Vigo County Schools came together to do what they could to help.
“All Vigo County bus drivers are doing what they can do to take up donations to take back to the two families,” said Cutright.
Dina Bryan, a Vigo County driver who knows residents of Rochester, brought up the idea of donations, believing it is important to show support of those affected.
“With the physical and emotional aspect of things that these families are going through, just trying to take a little bit of the burden off of them, ” said Bryan.
In addition to raising funds, black ribbons have been tied onto buses in Vigo County to show solidarity and spread awareness.
“Everybody chose to put it on the mirror. What that is is people notice that we’re recognizing what happened,” said Cutright.
Bus drivers hope that by spreading awareness, a tragedy like this never occurs again.
“Be careful, especially in the times of pickups and bus drop-offs, mornings and afternoons, you just never know,” Bryan said.
If you would like to help the families in Rochester, all Vigo County school bus drivers will accept donations during their stops now through Friday.