Recent school bus accidents in Standish school district

The tragic losses of a young student in Standish and a 12-year-old in Rockland have brought attention to school bus safety concerns. An investigation by 8 Investigates has revealed that while fatal school bus accidents are uncommon, incidents involving school buses occur more frequently in Maine than many realize. Data released by the Maine Department of Transportation indicates that since the beginning of 2015, there have been over 1,135 school bus crashes statewide, with 92 happening just this year. Although school bus-related incidents make up a small portion of traffic accidents in Maine and often result in minor impacts with no injuries, there have been significant incidents within the past year. Unfortunately, there have been two fatal crashes, as well as two major accidents that caused injuries to multiple students. For instance, in October, 16 students from Regional School Unit 16 were hospitalized after their school bus veered off the road in Minot. Likewise, in June, a head-on collision involving an SUV and a school bus from Regional School Unit 71 led to the hospitalization of two students in Belfast. Concerns have also been raised about the safety record of the Bonny Eagle school district, which saw the recent tragic death of 5-year-old Simon Gonzalez. Data from 8 Investigates highlighted a concerning trend of serious crashes involving school buses from Maine School Administrative District 6 since 2016, with over half of these accidents being due to bus driver error. In one unfortunate incident in 2022, a 6-year-old child was injured after being dragged by an MSAD 6 school bus, and there was a collision that resulted in fatalities. Federal data spanning from 2014 to 2023 revealed that 209 children across the nation lost their lives in school bus-related crashes, with pedestrians accounting for more than a third of the victims at 79 in total.