Nov. 18, 2003
A Perry Meridian High School freshman died Monday morning after he leaned his head out the window of a moving school bus and struck a tree.
The accident occurred on Stop 11 Road west of Bluff Road, about a mile north of the Johnson-Marion county line.
Raul Gonzalez, 16, died quickly after he struck his head on the tree trunk, said Marion County Sheriff?s Department Lt. Phil Burton. The bus was moving at about 30 or 35 mph when the impact occurred.
About 7:15 a.m., Gonzalez?s bus was headed eastbound on Stop 11 Road when the bus passed a tree standing a foot or more from the road, Burton said. it wasn?t clear why Gonzalez had stuck his head out the bus window.
The bus driver didn?t realize anyone was hurt until she heard screams. She pulled the bus over near Forward Pass Road, less than a quarter-mile from Bluff Road, and called authorities. Gonzalez was pronounced dead at the scene, Burton said.
Karen Cantou, a spokeswoman for Perry Township schools, said the driver would be questioned and undergo routine blood-alcohol screenings and other tests.
Neighbors to the site said vehicles had hit the tree repeatedly for years, and the tree was marked with green paint for removal. On the side of the tree facing the road, its base showed old scars.
Gonzalez and his family had moved to Indianapolis from Texas two weeks ago. He was the last student to board the bus Monday.
About 20 students were on the bus; they were transported to school on a different bus soon after the accident, Burton said. They were ushered into the school?s auditorium, where they received counseling, he said.
Some Johnson County high school counselors monitored their students who might have known Gonzalez.
Greenwood Community High School guidance director Bill Ronk said support would be available to Greenwood students, who go to school less than 10 miles from the crash site.
http://thejournalnet.com/print.asp?A...bSectionID=113
A Perry Meridian High School freshman died Monday morning after he leaned his head out the window of a moving school bus and struck a tree.
The accident occurred on Stop 11 Road west of Bluff Road, about a mile north of the Johnson-Marion county line.
Raul Gonzalez, 16, died quickly after he struck his head on the tree trunk, said Marion County Sheriff?s Department Lt. Phil Burton. The bus was moving at about 30 or 35 mph when the impact occurred.
About 7:15 a.m., Gonzalez?s bus was headed eastbound on Stop 11 Road when the bus passed a tree standing a foot or more from the road, Burton said. it wasn?t clear why Gonzalez had stuck his head out the bus window.
The bus driver didn?t realize anyone was hurt until she heard screams. She pulled the bus over near Forward Pass Road, less than a quarter-mile from Bluff Road, and called authorities. Gonzalez was pronounced dead at the scene, Burton said.
Karen Cantou, a spokeswoman for Perry Township schools, said the driver would be questioned and undergo routine blood-alcohol screenings and other tests.
Neighbors to the site said vehicles had hit the tree repeatedly for years, and the tree was marked with green paint for removal. On the side of the tree facing the road, its base showed old scars.
Gonzalez and his family had moved to Indianapolis from Texas two weeks ago. He was the last student to board the bus Monday.
About 20 students were on the bus; they were transported to school on a different bus soon after the accident, Burton said. They were ushered into the school?s auditorium, where they received counseling, he said.
Some Johnson County high school counselors monitored their students who might have known Gonzalez.
Greenwood Community High School guidance director Bill Ronk said support would be available to Greenwood students, who go to school less than 10 miles from the crash site.
http://thejournalnet.com/print.asp?A...bSectionID=113
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