School Bus vs. Semi

[Jasper]

Ok help me understand this....this past Thursday a school bus from MCC was on South Stiles Road at the stoplight waiting to make a right hand turn heading east towards Scottville at Us-10. A semi truck headed west bound failed to stop at the red light. So how is this possible? The damage to the bus was on the right side of the bus(as if one was inside the bus). According to the Mason County Press along with Officer Lamb this scenario is completely illogical. The west bound semi driver would have been off the road to the left while traveling west bound. Accurate reporting or????

[John Doe Jr]

Doesn't seem possible with that version of a story. Regardless, the bus driver should make sure everyone stops and the lane is clear to proceed.

[Jasper]

Agreed but something is amiss from the reporting by MCP and MCSO Lamb.

[Willy]

Do you have a link to the article? From what you have stated the truck was in the West bound lane and the bus was in the east bound lane an impossiblity unless one of Ludington's famous Vortex's appeared and reversed the laws of the Universe and the flow of traffic. It would be the same kind of Vortex that brought Shay and Krauch here to wreak havoc on the lowly mortals who live in Ludington.

[Jasper]

The link is at www.masoncountypress.com

[XLFD]

According to the MCP:   AMBER TOWNSHIP — A semi failing to stop at the traffic light collided with a school bus Thursday afternoon at the intersection of US 10-31 and Stiles Road. The crash occurred just before 4 p.m. Mason County Sheriff Sgt. Adam Lamb said a westbound semi went through the red light and crashed into Mason County Central school bus 29, which was south on Stiles Road, turning east onto US 10-31... Lamb said witnesses said the bus was completely stopped at the intersection prior to the Stiles Road light turning red. Witnesses also said the US 10-31 traffic light had been red for several seconds as the semi traveled through the intersection, Lamb said. The driver of the semi truck was issued a citation for failure to stop at a traffic light.

For those who are having a hard time visualizing this I include a diagram that I used a red square for the semi and a yellow square for the school bus.  The article appears ambiguous, in that it says "was south on Stiles Road, turning east".  Was it travelling south on Stiles or on South Stiles?   

Either way the damage to the bus' driver side (shown as an orange circle on the bus) is not consistent with the reportage/investigation unless the south-traveling bus veered with a hard turn substantially before it was hit. 

[Jasper]

XLFD but with your hypothesis that would mean the semi tractor trailer not only crossed the center turn lane but also ended up on the opposite side to cause damage to bus. Something is not adding just a wee bit up with the reporting of this.

[XLFD]

The 'veer' theory presumes the bus driver was headed south and noticed too late that the semi was not stopping, so to avoid a more major collision they effectively turned a sharp left before the semi (necessarily in the left lane for this scenario) veered left itself.  Improbable, but possible. 

With the MCSO and MCP involved, I'm leaning towards there being some type of misreporting. 

[Jasper]

The MCP reported the bus was stopped at the intersection of South Stiles and US-10. The bus as reported by MCP was headed eastbound. How does a bus sustain damage on the right side from a tractor trailer semi headed westbound? That tractor trailer would have had to cross numerous lanes. Yeah...you are probably correct. Our local news media fail to accurately report the news along with all the inaccurate information provided by the ever so wonderful MCSO!!

[Jasper]

I don't follow your diagram. Why are there two busses in your diagram? Thanks

[XLFD]

The MCP's report did not say "South Stiles" rather they said "was south on Stiles Road, turning east".   My diagram covered both interpretations of the incomplete reporting. 

1)  was (traveling) south on Stiles Road" or

2)  was on South Stiles Road

There's no conceivable way the semi driver would be at fault and suffer the damages if case 2 is correct, the diagram tries to illustrate the scenario from either vantage.

[stump]

Could it be that the bus driver as he was turning east toward Scottville seen the semi coming and not going to stop for the traffic light. The driver then made the choice to continue with a turn or stop with a certain T bone impact from the semi or cut it hard to the left into the west bound lane avoiding a t bone impact but not having the semi miss the bus, thus the right side of the bus was struck.

[XLFD]

That was what my 'veer theory' was saying, with the semi in the passing lane heading west and the bus driver hard-veering to the left to avoid a collision ending up looking east on the northernmost lane of US 10/31.

Someone I know was Johnny-on-the-spot, but only saw the aftermath shortly thereafter.  They didn't even see the semi at the point they arrived but saw the bus oriented pretty much like the above picture.