A turning mishap complicated by soft ground caused a Winslow school bus to veer off the road Thursday afternoon and get stuck in a ditch, the school superintendent said.

No one was injured during the incident involving the bus, which was carrying five children — three from the elementary school and two from the junior high.

A school bus, at left, passes the scene where a Winslow school bus ended up in a ditch Thursday and became stuck at the corner of Danielle and Benton avenues in Benton. No injuries to the driver or the children on the bus were reported in the accident, which left one wheel of the bus in the air.
A school bus, at left, passes the scene where a Winslow school bus ended up in a ditch Thursday and became stuck at the corner of Danielle and Benton avenues in Benton. No injuries to the driver or the children on the bus were reported in the accident, which left one wheel of the bus in the air. Staff file photo by David Leaming
An investigator surveys the scene Thursday after a Winslow school bus ended up in a ditch and became stuck at the corner of Danielle and Benton avenues in Benton.
An investigator surveys the scene Thursday after a Winslow school bus ended up in a ditch and became stuck at the corner of Danielle and Benton avenues in Benton. Staff file photo by David Leaming

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The bus driver, Lou Raynes, a longtime and experienced driver, cut a corner too sharp off Danielle and Benton avenues, according to Eric Haley, superintendent of the Alternative Organizational Structure 92 district, which includes Winslow schools.

“Lou, the bus driver, was backing into the roadway to turn the bus around, and cut too sharp,” Haley said. “She hit the outside edge and slid sideways, and when she tried to get out, she slid more; and the bus was in a bad place.”

Haley noted that recent mild temperature has softened the ground in some spots, including the side of the road where the bus got stuck.

“It does happen from time to time, but usually it involves high snowbanks or getting stuck in snow,” Haley said. “It is a little usual with the weather conditions here in January.”

After the bus slid partially off the road around 3:30 p.m. — its front end sticking out onto Benton Avenue and its back end in the ditch, with the front right wheel hanging in the air — Raynes called for help. The incident happened about 2 miles away from Winslow schools, near the Benton-Winslow town lines.

Rescue crews arrived, but the children’s parents all decided to pick them up at the scene instead of having them go to the hospital, Haley said.

Haley said no further action will happen because of the incident. Maine State Police responded to the scene to investigate, but Haley said it was closed matter, as far as he knew.

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