Four young students dead after bus accident near Logansport

Killed were five-year-old Lauren Melin, nine-year-old Kale Seabolt, and Trevor Ingram and Tyler Geiger, both 10 years old. All of the children lived in Monticello and attended elementary schools in Logansport that catered to their special needs.

Police say it happened just before 3 p.m. Friday afternoon at the intersection of U.S. 24 and U.S. 35.

The bus, out of Monticello’s Twin Lakes School Corporation, was taking four elementary students home when the accident happened.

A dump truck tried to slow down for a moped making a turn but swerved into the bus instead.

The bus flipped onto its side then a second dump truck struck the roof of the bus.

All four victims were pronounced dead on the scene while the bus driver, 46-year-old Debbie Duvall of Idaville, was flown to a Fort Wayne hospital.

“You have a moped followed by two dump trucks headed east bound on U.S. 24. The moped stopped to make a left hand turn to go north, when the semi immediately behind the driver slammed on his brakes which caused the second truck to go into the westbound. It clipped the rear left portion of the school bus causing the school bus to go on its side and slide into the east bound lanes where it was struck in the roof by a second dump truck,” explains Sgt. Tony Slocum from Indiana State Police.

The bus was leaving Logansport on its way back to Monticello. It is a daily commute as part of a special education program.

The drivers of the moped and dump trucks are expected to be fine.

Police say drugs and alcohol are not believed to be a factor.

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Comments are posted from viewers like you and do not always reflect the views of this station.

Posted by: Anonymous on Oct 2, 2008 at 01:15 PM
I knew both Kale and Trevor for a short period of time and they were great children. My heart and prayers go out to the families of all four of the children. May these great children R.I.P. I'll miss both Kale and Trevor.

Posted by: Me Location: Mishawaka on Oct 1, 2008 at 11:42 PM
May God be with these angles & their families!

Posted by: madison Location: clearwater on Oct 1, 2008 at 03:33 PM
people should pay more attention on the road. that ia too young.

Posted by: Anonymous on Sep 29, 2008 at 09:17 PM
wyne.. you should never post again. And most accidents are not the other drivers fault. Check your "facts". They should be driving slower and your explanation of how much they weigh and how long they take to stop is the reason for why they should drive slower. Thank you for proving the point. Slower and not tailgating cars or mopeds. Just as people should respect trucks they should also respect mopeds. Children lost their lives and it is ridiculous

Posted by: Chris Location: Argos on Sep 29, 2008 at 07:16 PM
You all point fingers and play the blame game but yet you know nothing. You don't know exactly what happend. Keep your mouths shut. It was an ACCIDENT. You people make me sick

Posted by: Myrt on Sep 29, 2008 at 03:39 PM
It is possible that the truck didn't see the moped until it was too late - they like bicycles and motorcycles are harder to see than a car. Besides, a moped (or bikes in my opinion) shouldn't be out on a state highway. If you can't maintain the minimum speed for the road, you shouldn't be out there. I'm afraid that this was just an accident and all that are involved have my prayers going out to them.

Posted by: Steve Location: South Bend on Sep 29, 2008 at 11:24 AM
I thought Not Maintaining Assured Clear Stopping Distance is always the responsibility of the following vehicle. The argument about vehicle weight and mass seems to miss the point. The longer it takes your vehicle to stop - the more distance you must maintain. The question for the moped is - was it traveling in front the trucks for a significant time or did it come out suddenly in front of the trucks and then almost immediately slow to turn left? That would determine the degree of culpability. As to the mopeds speed - what about slow moving farm implements? Should they be banned too? All people sharing the road should be alert, patient and exercise good judgement - from bicyclist to heavy truck operators. Unfortunately - far too many today are impatient and distracted. And we are all paying a price for it.

Posted by: Alan Location: Elkhart on Sep 29, 2008 at 09:00 AM
Matt from Middlebury is correct! US 24 is incredibly narrow, shoulder-less, and steep ditches on both sides. I have driven that road since I was teenager. I have it from relatives that this wreck did not occur at the intersection of 24 & 35. It happened at or just past 400N which is a bit closer to the entrance of France Park. If that is the case there was no where for anybody driving any type of vehicle to go. Thoughts and Prayers to the families, driver of the bus, the dump truck drivers, and the moped driver as well. He's going to need it.

Posted by: jess Location: knox on Sep 29, 2008 at 02:30 AM
hey kale, we will miss u buddy love you!! and to the families of lauren, trevor, and tyler, im so sorry for your loss and my thoughts and prayers are with you. you shouldnt point fingers at whos to blame, thats why it is called an accident. no one ment for this to happen.

Posted by: Anonymous on Sep 28, 2008 at 05:53 PM
We should not be putting blame on anyone we should be remembering the four wonderful children who lost there life so soon. And what there familys are going through after losing there child. God bless

Posted by: Matt Location: Middlebury on Sep 28, 2008 at 03:08 PM
US 24 between Logansport and Monticello has almost no shoulder (narrow gravel strip) and deep ditches. On May 24 of '07 I was struck by a 18 yr old with 3 young kids in the car...and I was driving a 70-foot tractor/covered wagon (It was her fault by the way, she went too fast around a curve and lost it). Many fingers were pointed at me since I was driving the semi, just because I was in the bigger vehicle and truckers are easy targets. Everybody, Don't Judge. It's sad what happened. What a tough situation. Hey INDOT, widen US 24 or make it 4-lanes from Illionis to Logansport. Unlicenced vehicles have no business being on busy US highway right-of-way.

Posted by: Jen Location: Mishawaka on Sep 28, 2008 at 11:12 AM
I'm not sure if we can blame the moped driver here. I mean it is legal for him to be on the road. He was turning into his own driveway. I don't think WE have the right to place blame. Leave that to the investigators. Just pray for all involved! Accidents happen and God called these little angels home. May peace be with all involved.

Posted by: Charlene Location: winamaca on Sep 28, 2008 at 01:40 AM
Actually if you people would use your heads,most accidents that a truck is involved in is rarely the truck drivers fault. a truck can not stop or swerve at the drop of a hat!!What is the matter with you peole!? children are dead you shouldnt be trying to blame a man who has to see that every day for the rest of his life and relive it everyday for the rest of his life!! it was a accident!!!

Posted by: Anonymous on Sep 27, 2008 at 11:16 PM
Just curious. Don't know the facts, but it seems from the reports as if the moped was stopped to make a turn to go home. Wouldn't the same thing have happened if it was a car? Don't they have signs warning people there are drivways off the highway? If you know there are houses along the highway I would think you might know there is chance you would have to stop or slow down? Also, what if it had been a bike? (as in foot operated, no engine?) Or a deer? It seems awfully green there.

Posted by: Rebecca Location: monticello, indiana on Sep 27, 2008 at 08:01 PM
i have a special needs grandson in that school corp.My heart goes out to the victims and families, also the drivers. But the point i want to make is this my husband was returning home from Logansport traveling the very same road around noonish, we had to pull over in idaville which is a small town because we had 2 red dump truck drivers on our tail, i know they travel thru there several times a day with loads going to this one job site so iam wondering if it was these 2 trucks,my father is a retired truck driver so i am aware of how hard it is to stop all of a sudden. so my question were they traveling to fast and to close or did the moped driver all of a sudden decided to turn without warning.

Posted by: worker Location: indiana on Sep 27, 2008 at 07:10 PM
The driver of the dump truck needs to go to jail for a long time. He was obviously not paying attention to other traffic. Mopeds came be a pain but we need to allow them space as long as they are legal on the highways. I see dump trucks going over the speed limit on a regular basis and have had triaxles with full loads go around me on the hgihway when I was at the speed limit. They simply need to slow them down.

Posted by: KW Location: IN on Sep 27, 2008 at 06:57 PM
I am truly saddened by this. Stop blaming the drivers or anyone else. It doesn't matter. Not only are the parents of the students suffering, the driver's families are suffering as well. I personally knew one of the students.........God has a truly special sidekick up there with Him now!! Enjoy Heaven Trevor!

Posted by: justin Location: mish on Sep 27, 2008 at 06:23 PM
Why are we playing the blame game? It was a tragic accident. And Mike from ply your are right Its easier to stop a 3500lbs car then it is to stop a 40000lbs semi. semis don't stop on a dime like most people expect.

Posted by: sarah Location: knox on Sep 27, 2008 at 03:55 PM
hey kale we will miss you buddy. and to all the other families, i know you will miss them too. im sorry for your losses.

Posted by: Ann Location: Warsaw on Sep 27, 2008 at 03:52 PM
My heart goes out to the families -- I have a special needs student as well and can't even fathom dealing with this senseless tragedy. Tell me though, did you all ever consider that what could have helped prevent this is for INDIANA to have resources available to service special needs students in their OWN school districts instead of these poor angels traveling from Monticello to Logansport??? Indiana needs to totally revamp their shoddy special services program and this is yet another reason why... God bless you four little angels.

Posted by: wyne Location: south bend on Sep 27, 2008 at 03:24 PM
yes why do we keep bashing the truckers ya obviously are not one or ya are ignorant thx

Posted by: Mike Location: Plymouth on Sep 27, 2008 at 02:55 PM
To all those who are blaming the truck driver and not the idiot on the moped, think about this. The average family car or SUV weighs about 3500 to 4000 pounds and takes ~150 ft to stop from 60mph. The average dump truck weight is 35000 to 60000 lbs. THATS 35 to 60 THOUSAND POUNDS. Do you think that sort of mass can just change direction or stop like a passenger vehicle? My sympathy is with the families of the victims of this tradegy. The only person involved who is not a victim is the moped rider. That person is the real cause and should bear full responsibility for causing the deaths of four innocents and wrecking the lives of the bus and truck drivers.

Posted by: BECKI Location: MIDDLEBURY on Sep 27, 2008 at 02:15 PM
I Think if the truck drivers were following at a safe distance like they are suppose to , they would have had plenty of time to stop, without swerving or slamming on their brakes.You have quite a bit of distance that you are suppose to leave between vehicles but a moped or motorcyle you should leave even more distance.So I do not know how this could not be the truck drivers fault. No dought they feel bad, but I just think this was a preventable accident and all drivers should take warning to this.

Posted by: Jon Carter Location: Osceola, IN on Sep 27, 2008 at 01:26 PM
It appears this was a truck drivers fault who was not paying attention to what was happening. However, I don't understand why the state of indiana allows anyone at any age without a license or insurance to operate a moped on the same road as licensed and insured drivers. State laws need to change.

Posted by: Sue Young Location: Winamac, Indiana on Sep 27, 2008 at 01:18 PM
I was reading the other comments after I submitted mine. I have a few more comments to make. First: Everyone from the moped opperator to the truck drivers, bus driver, families of the children, to everyone who responded to the scene, the school community, the teachers, everyone is affected by this accident. No one is to blame. The one truck driver is a retired policeman. Do you really think that he is not suffering also? Do you really think he wanted this to happen. We are all to quick to blame someone in times of tragedy. And for the ones that are wondering why the moped is on the highway, this isn't the first one on a highway or the first one to cause an accident. Many of the moped operators are driving mopeds because they don't have to have a drivers license. Many have lost their license for one reason or another. So may just be driving them to save money on gas. Whatever the reason, there is no one to blame. God has his Very Special Angels with him.

Posted by: Sue Young Location: Winamac, Indiana on Sep 27, 2008 at 01:08 PM
I was disturbed by the comment that was made that the students were not in seatbelts, except for the one in the wheelchair. I think if you check with the State Police again; you will find that they were all in seatbelts and/or carseats. The impact was so great that the seatbelts were of no use. My granddaughter is special needs and I know the drivers of these buses are very careful about safety measures. To many fingers are being pointed as to whose fault this is. It is no ones fault. It was an accident. On Friday afternoon God decided that he needed four Very Special Angels to be by his side.

Posted by: To Anon at 9:59 on Sep 27, 2008 at 11:45 AM
Mopeds, and yes, bikes have equal rights to the road. Trucks are the cause of more accidents than cars it seems, and was certainly the cause of this deadly accident. I think there should be some kind of intelligence test before someone can drive a truck. The current IQ seems to be about 75, which ironically is how fast this deadly trucker was driving before he came upon the moped.

Posted by: Anonymous on Sep 27, 2008 at 11:23 AM
maybe its time they start crash testing these types of vans and buses for roll over accidents, A roll bar may have saved those children from being crushed by the truck, and would also provide a strong mounting location for safety belts as well

Posted by: Anonymous on Sep 27, 2008 at 11:23 AM
Truck drivers have a responsibility to be extra careful and aware of the vehicles around them, as they are much, much more powerful. The moped had a legal right to be on the road, had signaled, and of COURSE had to slow down to turn. (Hello? Geez.) The truck driver was at fault for not being far enough behind the moped to be able to slow down. Either that or he wasn't paying attention and saw the moped too late. I have heard of way too many accidents on highways similar to this with irresponsible truck drivers to give this one a free pass. They have a huge advantage over everyone else on the road, not to mention they walk away and the victims rarely survive at all.

Posted by: Anonymous on Sep 27, 2008 at 11:06 AM
I'm from Logansport and this was a terrible accident. I had seen the rescue vehicles leaving around 3 but did not know what had happened until i got home and turned on the television. The guy on the moped lives right next door to some of my relatives and was turning into his drive at the time. For the guy who said to look into the records of both drivers, i do know that the driver of the first truck was a recently retired Logansport Police officer and pretty well known in the community.

Posted by: Anonymous on Sep 27, 2008 at 10:59 AM
Everyone is quick to blame the truckdriver, but that has been my husbands job for over 30 years . Many accidents have been seen and experienced by myself and my husband. I have found that people have no respect for big trucks and equipment that they haul. If it wasnt for truck drivers you could not live . They haul the clothes, food , etc... Mopeds should not be allowed on roads, motorcycles below 125cc are not allowed so why a moped. That driver should be ticketed for driving a slow moving vehicle on a highway and for causing injury and death.

Posted by: Gerry Location: Mishawaka on Sep 27, 2008 at 10:52 AM
It wasn't the moped that hit the bus, it was the irresponsible truck driver. He was obviously not in control of his vehicle or we would not be discussing this issue.

Posted by: Anonymous on Sep 27, 2008 at 09:54 AM
..also in my opinion the moped is irrelevant to the story. A car going slow would have caused the same thing. The truck driver was obviously following to close and knew he couldnt stop in time so he swerved over and expectd someone to move out of his way. Sadly this had to be the wakeup call to these truck drivers. Those poor parents lives will never be the same because of a careless driver that should be the most responsible drivers.

Posted by: Anonymous on Sep 27, 2008 at 09:50 AM
Yea there were seatbelts and the youngest was in a child restraint. It is just awful. I won't say all truck drivers are careless but alot are. If they are not capable and responsible enough they should not be driving them. Dump trucks are huge and very heavy and a lot of the time I think they just expect other drivers to watch out for them and back away when they decide to slip into another lane with no notice at all. It is awful and scary driving by dump trucks and this is a prime example of why. Those innocent children did not deserve such carelessness. My heart and I am sure many others' goes out to the families and the bus driver. I am assuming she feels terrible and she should not. Hopefully those truck drivers and others like them will soon be off the roads.

Posted by: A concerned citizen Location: Winamac on Sep 27, 2008 at 09:50 AM
I find it sad that as people, when faced with a tragedy we immediately start looking for blame. Will blaming someone heal the families involved? Will it bring back the children? No it will not. All it does is bring anger into your life. So instead of finding a person to blame, why not say a prayer. Find a way to heal. I'm pretty sure that everyone from the drivers to the families involved are right now feeling a great loss and already harbor enough grief without us casting judgement or supplying more anger. My heart goes out to those involved. May the lord give you the strength to heal.

Posted by: Anonymous on Sep 27, 2008 at 09:23 AM
I bet that poor truck driver now is thinking, why didn't I just hit the moped driver. Then maybe 4 little will be home with their partents today. But, in a split second he had to make that choice, he made the wrong one, and I feel that he too as the parents of those little ones will remember that day the rest of their lives.

Posted by: john Location: south bend on Sep 27, 2008 at 09:05 AM
there needs to be a very very complete look into this accident to see just what went wrong and who [if anyone ] is at fault . i mean look at all the drivers past driving records and the company that hired them .like the dump truck drivers and owners.

Posted by: Anonymous on Sep 27, 2008 at 08:20 AM
what was the moped doing on us 24 was that guy trying to kill himself or cause a wreck he succeeded i blame the moped not the truck he plainly shouldnt have been on the highway 24 period

Posted by: Mary Location: Michigan on Sep 27, 2008 at 08:02 AM
To Frank...It's people like you that give truck drivers a bad name. Did you ever thing it might have been the moped. Please think before you speak !! Rest in Peace little ones

Posted by: Carrie Location: SB on Sep 27, 2008 at 07:52 AM
Wow..I guess some of you have NEVER been in an accident. Good for you!! God Please be w/ the families of the children lost and the men/women who were driving. God will be w/ all of you now.

Posted by: Frank Location: SB on Sep 27, 2008 at 07:21 AM
I'm not waiting for the full story to come out, I'm blaming the truck driver right now for murdering 4 innocent kids. Usually when something like this happens the truck driver is filling a milk jug or text messaging on his cell phone. I hope he goes to jail!

Posted by: Cathy Location: South Bend on Sep 27, 2008 at 07:16 AM<