Mt. Vernon school bus goes off roadway, two injured
Driver Shoff suffers medical incident behind wheel, renders bus unusable by district
Two people suffered minor injuries on Tuesday, May 14, when a Mt. Vernon school bus went off the road on MO 43, one mile south of Joplin, at 8:25 p.m. According to a crash report filed by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the vehicle went off the road and crashed into an embankment.
According to a post on the district’s Facebook page, the bus was on the way home from the district championship game in Seneca when the accident happened.
The driver of the bus was identified by the MSHP as Kyler Shoff, 30, of Monett. Shoff is a special services teacher at the high school, as well as an assistant varsity baseball coach and assistant middle school football coach. He has also been named as next year’s baseball head coach.
Scott Cook, superintendent of schools, said the crash was caused when Shoff “had a medical incident.” Shoff and one other person on the bus, a 16-year-old male juvenile, both suffered minor injuries and were taken to Mercy Hospital in Joplin, according to the MSHP crash report.
There were seven people on the bus at the time it went off the road, Cook said, and those who weren’t injured were taken home by others attending the game.
“Parents and coaches were able to transport all the remaining students home following the accident,” Cook said.
The district’s transportation is contracted through First Student, a student transportation service. Cook said the district appreciated First Student’s help in handling the incident and were also happy that the accident wasn’t worse than it was.
“We are grateful to First Student for their help navigating this situation,” he said. “The district is so thankful the accident caused no severe injuries, and we are appreciative of the support offered by the community and neighboring school districts.”
An update on Shoff’s and the student’s condition was not available as of press time. The school bus itself, Cook said, was “damaged to the point it will no longer be useable.”
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Lawrence County Record
312 S. Hickory St.
Mt. Vernon, MO, 65712
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