HUNTSVILLE (KFSM) — 5NEWS requested a copy of the Arkansas State Police investigation Wednesday (Oct. 7) into a deadly crash between an SUV and Huntsville school bus that killed a 15-year-old Huntsville High School student Sept. 21.
Shelby Dotson, who was a front passenger in the SUV, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the crash report. The driver of the SUV, another 15-year-old girl, was taken to a hospital by helicopter with injuries and a nine-year-old boy who was sitting behind Dotson was uninjured, according to ASP.
The school bus was stopped in the outside eastbound lane on U.S. 412 at a private driveway to pickup a student when the SUV crashed into the back of it, the report states. The front, hood and a portion of the top of the SUV ended up crushed under the undercarriage of the bus, according to the report.
The speed limit in the area is 55 miles per hour. Information from the SUV’s data recorder indicated the SUV was traveling 58 miles per hour when it drove into the school bus and the driver applied the brakes one second before impact, the report states.
According to the report, the sun may have played a factor in the crash as it was rising from the east causing a glare on the windshield. It also shows none of the airbags in the SUV were deployed.
The report shows the driver of the SUV had a learner’s permit at the time of the crash, which means the driver has to be accompanied by a licensed driver who is at least 21 years old.
The crash report has been turned over to the Madison County Prosecutor’s Office to determine if any charges will be filed.
