Road flooding leads to school bus stuck in swamp

Friday afternoon Manchester Community Schools bus 94 got pulled off the road, stuck in mud and partially sunk into a swampy area off of Buss Road while avoiding road flooding. There were no injuries and the students were transferred to a second bus and safely dropped off at their homes.

Friday afternoon, while trying to avoid flooding across Buss Road in Manchester Township, Manchester Community School Bus 94 was pulled into mud and sank in a swampy area, resulting in the bus being stuck at a precarious-looking angle. While it produced dramatic photos and exciting stories for the students on the bus, superintendent Cherie Vannatter assured us, “There were no injuries to the approximately ten students on the bus or the bus driver.”

Jennifer Gaydosh, parent of one of the students on the bus at the time, relayed her daughter’s first-hand account. “My daughter, Claire Gaydosh and other students were riding bus 94 when it began to sink into the road which is surrounded by swamps on both sides. The bus then lost its footing and was leaning sideways into the swamp with students still on the bus. Claire told me the bus began to sink into the mud and then began to tip sideways. She said some water entered the bus and the children were frightened. She was scared because she was sitting on the side that tipped. Their bus driver, Ms. Lorincz, did an excellent job keeping the children calm and safe. The transportation department kept the parents well informed about the late drop offs. They waited for another bus to come and got all the children off safely.”

Vannatter reported Friday evening that two tow trucks were working on pulling the bus out of the swampy area and that the county road commission was also on the scene to determine if the road condition warranted immediate repair or closure. The road commission determined the road was passable and placed ‘water over road’ signs on all four corners of the problem area. They stated, "The area is swampy and the shoulders of the road are soft. Water levels are still high, once the water recedes we will put more material on the road."

Witnesses report that the bus was successfully removed around 6 pm.

Bus extraction Friday evening. Photo courtesy of Caitlin Gaydosh.

Bus 94 out of the mud and back on the road. Photo courtesy of Caitlin Gaydosh.

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.