One killed in three-car school bus crash in Clay County

One person was killed after the car they were traveling in collided with a school bus in Clay County, damaging four vehicles.

The crash involved three cars traveling west on Route 92 and Highway A, between Smithville and Kearney, said Corporal Justin Ewing, spokesman for the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The crash, reported about 3:45 p.m. Wednesday, was a chain reaction that began when the westbound car stopped in the median to make a left turn, Ewing told The Star.

To avoid a collision with a car turning left, a black passenger sedan swerved into the path of a westbound school bus, Ewing said. The black sedan struck another car while turning and was thrown back into a third car after being struck by the bus, Ewing said.

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One of the occupants of the black sedan was pronounced dead, Ewing said. The highway patrol is currently investigating a possible second death.

According to Ewing and Principal Justin Collins, the school bus was from the Gallatin RV School District in Gallatin, Missouri.

The bus was carrying Gallatin High School students back from the Future Business Leaders of America conference, Collins wrote in a post on the district’s social media. The Gallatin students competed in the national FBLA competition in Orlando, Florida, from June 29 to July 2.

The bus was carrying 17 passengers at the time of the crash, according to Ewing. Two of them were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.

“We are relieved to report that all students and bus staff have been accounted for and are safe,” Collins wrote Wednesday. “We would like to thank our staff for their very quick response and attention to our students during this time.”

Collins and representatives from the Gallatin RV School District were not available Wednesday afternoon for comment.

Ewing said Troop A of the Missouri State Highway Patrol is still actively investigating the crash. The makes and models of the three cars involved in the crash, as well as the identities of all occupants, are not yet publicly known.

Since the beginning of the year, 332 people have been involved in 123 bus crashes in Missouri, according to state data. Those crashes resulted in one death and 123 injuries.