Five dead following school bus crash in Rushville

RUSHVILLE, Ill. – The Illinois State Police is investigating a fatal crash involving a school bus in Rushville.

At approximately 11:30 a.m. Monday, a school bus and a truck tractor semi-trailer crashed on U.S. 24 just west of Parkview Road. Five people died — the school bus driver, three children who were passengers on the bus and the semi-truck tractor driver.

Preliminary reports indicate the school bus was traveling east on U.S. 24. For an unknown reason, the bus crossed over into the westbound lanes in front of the semi-truck. The semi-truck struck the school bus, and both vehicles became engulfed in flames.

The following identifications were confirmed by the Schuyler County coroner:

• David Coufal, 72-year-old male from Browning
• Angela Spiker, 57-year-old female from Rushville
• Maria Miller, 5-year-old female from Rushville
• Andrew Miller, 3-year-old male from Rushville
• Noah Driscoll, 3-year-old male from Rushville

The three children and the driver were the only people aboard the bus at the time of incident, authorities said.

“Schuyler County is a small county, a small community, and Rushville, Illinois, it’s a close-knit family. When you have lost lives like this, it’s devastating. It’s quite a tragedy,” Schuyler County Sheriff Bill Redshaw said.