School bus involved in crash on Missouri interstate bridge

ROCHEPORT, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri State Highway Patrol says three vehicles, including a school bus, were involved in a crash on Interstate 70 near Rocheport.

Officials say a passenger car spun out on the Missouri River Bridge early Thursday. The school bus from Our Lady of Lourdes Interparish School in Columbia stopped behind the car and was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer.

Helen Osman, a spokeswoman for the Jefferson City Diocese, said eight students and one pregnant teacher were taken to a Columbia hospital to be assessed. She said they are complaining of neck and back injuries.

KMIZ reports there were about 40 children on the bus. Osman said the eight-graders were headed to a leadership day in Independence. The students that weren’t injured were taken back to the school.

The crash closed the westbound lanes of the interstate.