Iron Range school bus rolls with 21 kids on board

DULUTH – A school bus on its way to the Cherry School about an hour northwest of Duluth flipped Thursday morning after it was hit by an SUV that allegedly ran a stop sign.

The Minnesota State Patrol said all 21 students on board suffered minor injuries. Some were sent to Iron Range hospitals. The Cherry School serves about 600 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, and students of all ages were on the bus, said St. Louis County Schools Superintendent Reggie Engebritson.

Both the driver of the bus and of the SUV suffered injuries and were sent to area hospitals, the State Patrol said. Their conditions are unknown.

The incident happened shortly before 8 a.m. in the vicinity of Hwy. 5 and Town Line Road, in Cherry Township. The bus apparently spun before it flipped, Engebritson said.

Engebritson, who was in the middle of calling families to check on students’ conditions, said extra counselors and support staff were at the school, coming from surrounding schools in the district.