Photograph: Park Vista physical education instructors Petsy Mills and Travis Melancon assist a student at the school with the proper way to exit the rear of a bus. (Photograph by Freddie Herpin.)
BOBBY ARDOIN
Editor/Consulting Writer
Park Vista Elementary School students underwent student transportation emergency bus exiting training sessions Friday morning under the supervision of school physical educational personnel.
Physical education teachers Petsy Mills and Travis Melancon were among the school personnel who showed students how to disembark from the bus in cases of emergency, during annual training exercises that are normally part of the school program, according to Park Vista officials.
The school officials additionally explained that the practice sessions which used student transportation buses were not in response to the Thursday afternoon accident on La. 190 west of Lawtell which Louisiana State Police say involved a St. Landry Parish public school bus loaded with students and a large truck that troopers say allegedly hit rear of the bus.
According to a KLFY-Channel 10 news story posted on the station website Thursday night, four of the students occupying the bus were transported to an unidentified hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
The story on the website said two of the injured students were airlifted to the hospital, while the others were driven to the hospital in an ambulance.
School Superintendent Patrick Jenkins, who visited the accident scene off Rozena Road west of Lawtell, was interviewed roadside by KLFY and told the station’s reporters that there were 27 students on the bus at the time of the accident.
Jenkins told Channel 10 that the students aboard the bus when the accident occurred are in grade levels kindergarten through eighth grade.
Also Jenkins said, initial reports provided to him by accident scene investigators show that the bus driver was not at fault in connection with the accident.
