SMITHVILLE, Mo. — After a school bus crash in Clay County injured two students and a bus driver on Monday, neighbors are voicing concerns about road safety.
The incident, which led the vehicle with 30 children inside to tip on its side, was the third crash on that stretch of Mt. Olivet Road since 2020.
They were:
- Aug. 21, 2021: driver looked at his phone and ran off the road, striking multiple fence posts
- March 19, 2022: driver struck a deer
For neighbors like Kim Powell, a 30-year resident of the area, Monday's incident is cause for frustration. Not only do vehicles commonly speed down the roadway, but she thinks its structure leaves little margin for error.
Powell said she'd never seen a crash like the one Monday. She did, however, note that many drivers drive too fast for the curve in the road that has one lane each direction. Signs leading up to the curve tell drivers to take the curve at 20 mph. Otherwise, the speed limit nearby is 45.
The cause of Monday's incident is under investigation. While it's early in the investigation, a spokesperson with the Clay County Sheriff's Office told KSHB 41 Monday that it appears the bus went to one side of the road, over-corrected and then rolled.
"There's no shoulder, so it's kind of unforgiving in that aspect so you really have to pay attention and be careful to where your edges are and what's coming," Sarah Boyd, the public information officer, said.
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