When Kimberly Shope and husband Mike put their daughter Taylor on the school bus for her first day of fifth grade at Northwestern Elementary, they were excited to start the new school year.
“Taylor had her aunt braid her hair the night before, she had her best clothes picked out to wear,” said Kimberly Shope, “She was excited to see her friends that she had not seen all summer.”
Shope said they did the same thing most parents and children do on the first day of school.
“(We took) pictures on the front porch, waited for the bus to come down the road, said our goodbyes, gave our hugs, and off to school she went, and off to work Mike and I went,” she said.
Shope said her sense of time that day is “probably not accurate,” but she recalled a message about a school bus accident went out to parents quickly. Shortly after she received an individual call from the school letting her know it was Taylor’s bus and that she was involved in the accident.
“Taylor has a cell phone and FaceTimed me right away, so I knew about the accident minutes after it had happened. When I talked to her, she was already off of the bus. She said with a tremble in her voice, ‘Mom, our bus was just in an accident,’” said Shope.
She asked her daughter if she was hurt — she wasn’t — and asked if her two cousins on the bus were OK — they were — and then Taylor “flipped her camera around and showed me that the bus was in its top. That’s when I knew it was bad.”
The school bus was traveling west on Ohio 41 (Troy Road) on Tuesday when a 2010 Honda Odyssey going east went left of the center line and into the path of the oncoming bus, according to investigators. The bus driver attempted to avoid the Honda by driving onto the shoulder, but still collided with the minivan and flipped over off the road. The bus landed on its top before people on the scene pushed it onto its side and began helping the children.
Aiden Clark, 11, was killed in the accident, and 23 students were injured.
Gratitude for the helpers
Shope said what was a beautiful first day of school turned into one of the scariest days of their lives. She is grateful to the bystanders who stopped to help, the first responders both on and off duty, and the bus driver whose actions saved lives.
A reunification center was set up at the nearby fire station in Lawrenceville, where parents were able to meet with their children.
“The reunification center itself was chaotic, but only because of the high emotions, the panic, the uncertainty,” said Shope. “People were scared, there were lots of tears, but there were also people hugging each other and supporting each other and just being there for each other.”
Shope said the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Clark County Sheriff’s Office and German Twp. police had things under control.
“There were clear instructions on where to wait, how to check in, and frequent updates on when we would get to see the kids,” she said. “They have their policies, and procedures that they needed to do to ensure kids were all accounted for, and that they were returned to the correct family members. Everyone had the kids’ best interest at the front of mind their mind, and we knew that.”
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
‘Something we all needed’
Shope said the day after the accident, Taylor wanted to visit her bus driver.
“She wanted and needed to see that he was OK,” she said. “So, we took her to his house, we dropped of a care package and a little something that Taylor made for him. The smile on both of their faces was something we all needed to see and feel that day.”
The family also attended the Prayer Vigil Wednesday night at Lawrenceville Church of God.
In the same neighborhood as the Shope family, Rob and Jenny Collins were preparing daughters Norah, 9, and Madi, 7, for their first day of school in fourth and second grades.
Jenny Collins was driving to work on I-675 when she received a call from a friend whose mother was behind the accident.
“I just had this feeling it was their bus,” she said. “My dear friend then confirmed for me it was in fact their bus number.”
Collins said it’s a blur as to how she got to Route 41, but when she did and couldn’t get to the scene, she parked and ran.
“I was told to go to the fire station, so I ran there, and we all waited in panic,” she said. “Norah knew my number and had a mother that was at the scene call me, and I was able to know that both girls were OK but hurt.”
Sisters prayed together
It was about 25 minutes before many of the kids were brought to the firehouse, Collins said.
“Rob and I are so proud of our girls as we learned that during the trauma after they exited the bus they stopped and prayed together,” she said. “My hope is that our community can turn to God.”
Collins said the first responders, law enforcement, nurses and EMTs did a wonderful job handling the situation given the circumstances.
“We are so very fortunate and blessed that our babies are in our arms, and in the same breath, we are heartbroken for our friends and neighbors the Clarks,” she said.
Collins said Norah and Madi have been brave and resilient and have physically healed well.
“Emotionally and mentally, we all have a long road ahead and we will lean on professional help,” she said.
The Northwestern Local School district canceled classes Wednesday and Thursday to allow students to talk to grief counselors and staff to receive training on how to help students and themselves in the aftermath of the tragedy. Students returned to class on Friday.
Getting back on the bus
Shope said the return to school Friday was difficult, but Taylor did ride the bus.
“This morning was hard. This afternoon will be hard. The days, weeks, months ahead will be hard,” she said, “but the love we have felt from family, friends, strangers, the community, the neighborhood, the school, work, etc. will never be forgotten.”
Shope said Taylor called Friday the first day of school ‘take 2.′
“We were nervous, but there was so much love on the bus for these kids and surrounding the bus for these kids, my momma heart felt just a tiny bit better,” Shope said.
Sheriff Deb Burchett and Clark County deputies rode in Northwestern school buses on routes Friday morning to welcome the students back and help them feel safe. The Ohio State Highway Patrol followed behind the buses to make sure they got to school safely.
Parents and community members lined Route 41 Friday morning to show support to the students and school buses on their way to Northwestern.
Day by day, hour by hour
Shope said her family is taking and processing things day by day, sometimes hour by hour. They remind Taylor that while they weren’t on the bus with her, they are also hurting inside and it is normal for them to feel the way they all feel.
“We continue to encourage her to ask questions and let us know what she is feeling,” said Shope. “The community support has been unimaginable since day one, but for us it was the support that the kids received when getting back on that bus today that has meant the most.”
Norah Collins was able to return to school Friday, though she did not ride the bus.
“The girls both know that school buses are actually a very safe vehicle and that this was a wild accident,” said Collins. “They are not ready to get back on a bus right now and that is OK. I believe future bus rides will come with the healing process.”
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