Normal West bus driver on the mend after I-74 crash

Posted on December 8, 2018

*Mark Kuhn, 64, of Heyworth was the driver of the Normal West bus involved in a head-on crash on I-74 Wednesday night. Kuhn was listed in stable condition Saturday morning. (Photo Unit 5 Facebook Page)*

By Howard Packowitz

NORMAL – The driver of a Unit 5 school bus that crashed head-on with a wrong-way semi is off the critical list at a Peoria hospital.

A nursing supervisor at OSF St. Francis Medical Center said Saturday morning that Mark Kuhn, 64, of Heyworth is in stable condition.

A statement from Unit 5 released Friday said Kuhn faces multiple surgeries and a long road to recovery.

Kuhn was driving the bus carrying Normal West High School’s junior varsity girls basketball team heading home on Interstate 74 Wednesday night from a road game in Champaign.

The Iowa trucker who was driving eastbound in the westbound lanes was killed, as was 72-year old Wildcat volunteer Charlie Crabtree of Normal.

JV Coach Steve Price is in stable condition, according to the nursing supervisor. Unit 5 said Price also faces a difficult recovery as he heals from several broken bones.

All eight members of Price’s squad escaped serious injuries, and were released from local hospitals.

Just three days after the crash, team members decided they were ready to play. The Wildcats returned to action Saturday morning for a home game against Bradley Bourbonnais.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]

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