Plainfield student in critical condition after crashing into Avon school bus

AVON, Ind. (WISH) — Avon police say the 18-year-old driver of a car that crashed into an Avon School Corp. bus is in critical condition.

The 16-year-old passenger in the car suffered injuries not believed to be life-threatening.

Both are students at Plainfield High School.

Avon police are reconstructing the crash scene on Dan Jones Road south of Hendricks County Road 200. The crash happened about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.

“Once they complete that, they’ll also be following up with toxicology screenings. They’ll be doing forensic exams on cellphones. They will also be retrieving crash data, from the crash data computer inside of the passenger car,” said Avon Police Chief Sean Stoops.

Investigators might determine if the driver was texting or browsing social media at the time of the accident, although it could be several weeks before the results of these forensic tests are available.

“It appears as though they were heading north from Plainfield toward Avon. It appears as though they may have been leaving high school,” Stoops said.

The Plainfield School Corp. declined to release any information about the students out of respect for the families.

About 30 students were on the Avon school bus during the accident, and most of them suffered bumps and bruises. The bus had just departed Cedar Elementary School.

“The families of the children involved, I’m sure they are feeling some level of trauma as well. It’s a very traumatic experience for young kids, the bus driver as well, she’s very distraught,” said Stoops.

The students on the bus were taken to Avon High School, where parents and caregivers picked them up.