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"Lessons Learned" is a series of drop-in articles prepared by the NTSB for use 
in publications of other organizations.  An index of articles is available at
http://www.ntsb.gov/events/journalist/lessons/lessons.htm
05/2005
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Lessons Learned from Accident Investigations 
School Bus Extrication Training Urged for Emergency Responders 

Emergency responders had problems getting passengers out of a school bus that 
fell off a bridge into a creek in Omaha, Nebraska. Rescuers lacked knowledge of school 
bus construction and extrication methods; when they discovered that their "Jaws of Life" 
device was too large to fit between the bus seats, they had to use hack saws to cut off seat 
legs that were entrapping victims. Firefighters, who attempted to poke holes in the roof 
with their pick axes, were hampered by the reinforced roof construction required for 
school buses. Three students and an adult chaperon died in the crash. 

"The tragedy clearly points out that local and state emergency responders need school 
bus extrication training, not only in Omaha but across the country," National 
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Ellen Engleman-Conners said. "It takes 
special training because methods for extricating passengers from school buses differ 
significantly from methods for extricating passengers from lighter vehicles." 

The crash occurred on Saturday, October 13, 2001, about 2 p.m. A 78-passenger 
school bus carrying 27 students and three adult chaperons from Seward High School was 
traveling home from a band competition in Omaha through what the NTSB called a 
"poorly designed" highway-bridge construction work zone on U.S. Route 6 in Omaha. 

            As the Seward bus entered the narrow work zone lane shift at the approach to a 
bridge over a creek, it encountered a 52-passenger motorcoach traveling in the opposite 
direction and carrying students from Norfolk High School to the same band competition. 
No collision occurred, but the bus carrying the Seward students struck a barrier on the 
right as it passed the motorcoach, steered to the left and then steered abruptly back to the 
right, striking the barrier again and a three-rail barrier between a guardrail and a concrete 
bridge railing. 

The bus passed through the remains of the three-rail barrier, rode up onto the 
bridge's sidewall, and rolled 270 degrees clockwise as it fell about 49 feet, landing on its 
left side in a creek below the bridge. In addition to the four fatalities, the remaining 
passengers and the bus driver sustained injuries ranging from serious to minor. During its 
investigation, the NTSB uncovered numerous safety issues, including the need for 
emergency responder training. 

Most students were still in the bus when emergency responders arrived at the 
scene after the crash. According to the incident commander, multiple passengers' arms 
and legs were trapped between the inside wall of the bus and the seats. A 14-year-old 
female passenger was ejected and was found trapped between the bus's left side and the 
muddy creek bed. A 16-year-old male and an 18-year-old female were pinned between 
the bottom of their seats and several seat cushions that came apart. The 14-year-old male 
who drowned was found facedown in the muddy water, trapped between the left side of 
the bus and a seatback. 

In its accident report, the NTSB said rescue efforts would probably have 
proceeded more efficiently if rescuers had received school bus extrication training. 
Although this special training is not required, the NTSB urged national, State, and local 
fire and emergency response officials to get school bus extrication training which is 
available through courses and videos from a variety of vendors and equipment 
manufacturers. 

"Unless we pay attention to all the lessons learned in this crash, we will 
continually repeat them and unnecessarily jeopardize lives," Engleman-Conners said. 

The NTSB said the probable cause was the failure of the Nebraska Department of 
Roads to recognize and correct the hazardous condition in the work zone created by the 
irregular geometry of the roadway, the narrow lane widths, and the speed limit. 

Contributing to the accident, the NTSB said, was the accident bus driver's 
inability to maintain the bus within the lane due to the perceived or actual threat of a 
frontal collision with the approaching eastbound motorcoach and the accident bus 
driver's unfamiliarity with the accident vehicle. 

For the complete accident report, visit the NTSB Web site at this address: 
http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/2004/HAR0401.pdf