By Howard Packowitz
BLOOMINGTON – A semi apparently going the wrong way on Interstate 74 Wednesday night struck a school bus carrying members of Normal West High School’s junior varsity girls basketball team.
A team volunteer on board the bus was killed, as was the driver of the semi, according to Illinois State Police.
The force of the head-on collision, that happened at about 8:30 p.m. in the westbound lanes between Bloomington and Downs, crushed the front end of the bus.
Unit 5 reported the team members did not suffer life-threatening injuries, but a 72-year old team volunteer was killed, as State Police Trooper Tracy Lillard told reporters.
“The family has agreed they would like his name released. His name is Charles Crabtree, age 72, and he’s a male from Normal, Illinois. He was a volunteer with the basketball team that was on the school bus,” said Trooper Lillard.
State Police said the semi driver, a 34-year old Iowa man, was driving eastbound in the westbound lanes.
Police said eight girls were on the bus. They were heading back from a game at Champaign Central High School.
OSF HealthCare told news partner WMBD-TV that OSF St. Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington treated four of the students. They were in good condition. Adults who were more seriously hurt were taken to OSF St. Francis Medical in Peoria.
Unit 5 spokesperson Dayna Brown said there’s school at Normal West Thursday, but counselors are available to help anybody who might be traumatized by what happened.
“We have a protocol in place where we will have staff here,” said Brown.
“We’ll have some staff from the school. We’ll also have some staff from the district. We have administrators. We’ll have extra administrative support, and we’ll be sure that everyone is supported in anything they need,” Brown also said.
On its Facebook page, the school district said it is “devastated” by Crabtree’s death.
“Please keep the Crabtree family and the entire Normal West community in your thoughts,” the statement said.
Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]
