By Kevin Lavery, KWMU
St. Louis – Twenty-six schoolchildren and their bus driver were injured Monday morning in an accident on westbound Interstate 64 (Hwy. 40) in west St. Louis County.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol says the driver swerved to avoid slowing traffic, then overcorrected, causing the bus to flip onto its side.
The children were going to class at Shenandoah Valley Elementary School in Chesterfield. The bus, which is operated by Laidlaw Transportation, was not equipped with seat belts.
The highway patrol's Cpl. Jon Parrish says the department has no official position on the use of seat belts on schoolbusses.
"We've seen research both ways indicating that in some cases, yes, a seat belt could be beneficial, and in other types of crashes, they're actually harmful," Parrish said. "So it's really going to be up to federal mandates."
The driver and one child are in serious condition at St. John's Mercy Medical Center.