Munich, Germany— A school bus carrying middle school students overturned on a narrow rural road in Bavaria on the morning of October 20, killing the driver on impact and sending 14 children to hospitals with injuries ranging from bruises to broken bones.
The bus, a 2019 MAN Lion's Coach operating a contracted school route, was traveling from the village of Altmannstein to a school in Ingolstadt at 7:22 a.m. when it left the road on a left-hand curve near State Road 2232. The road was damp from overnight fog. Police said the bus hit a soft shoulder, overcorrected, and rolled onto its side into a drainage ditch. The roof caved in at the front.
The driver, a 62-year-old man employed by a local bus company for 18 years, was trapped under the steering column. Paramedics declared him dead at the scene. Of the 14 children aboard, aged 11 to 14, two were flown by rescue helicopter to Ingolstadt Klinikum with serious spinal and head injuries. Twelve others were treated for cuts, concussions, and fractures. None are in life-threatening condition.
DPA reported the bus was equipped with seatbelts, but investigators said most children were not wearing them. A police spokesman in Eichstätt said, "The curve is marked 60 km/h. The bus appears to have been going faster, maybe 75. The shoulder is loose gravel. Once the front wheel dropped, it was over."
Parents gathered at the school, many in tears, after receiving automated messages that the bus had not arrived. The school principal said, "We had 14 empty desks this morning. The children who saw it happen will need help for a long time."
The rural road in question has been flagged by the Bavarian Road Authority for poor drainage and lack of guardrails. Local council records show three prior run-off incidents at the same curve in the last two years, all involving heavy vehicles. Residents said they petitioned for a barrier last spring. The request was denied due to budget constraints.
The bus company said the vehicle passed its TÜV inspection in September and the driver had a clean record. The public prosecutor has ordered a full technical examination of brakes, steering, and tachograph data. An autopsy on the driver will check for a medical event.
The accident has reignited debate in Germany over seatbelt enforcement on school buses. Bavaria does not mandate a monitor to ensure children buckle up. Education Ministry said it will review protocols.
The wrecked bus remains in the ditch under police guard. The road stays closed for forensic mapping.
Published by Banx Network. This article is part of the Banx decentralized media programme, powered by the BXE token on the XRP Ledger.
