'Don't want anybody to die at this intersection': Father of kids in Ozaukee Co. school bus crash pushes for safety

 

FREDONIA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Students from Random Lake School District are recovering after a school bus crash in Ozaukee County on Monday morning.

The crash happened at the intersection of County Road E and Jay Road in the town of Fredonia.

An SUV ran a stop sign and struck the school bus, which flipped on its side.

Thirty-six students from the Random Lake School District were on the bus. Eight of them were hospitalized.

As of Monday night, the district said two students remained at Children's Wisconsin. Thankfully, nobody has life-threatening injuries.

The incident left some members of the small community shaken up.

"I've known these drivers from years of my son going to school here, and they've been nothing but fabulous, making sure the kids are safe," said Colleen Buyeski, a community member who lives near Random Lake. "Although my son wasn't on the bus, it just kind of hit a personal spot."

One parent said he raced over to the intersection after hearing the crash from his home.

"We heard the crash right after our kids got picked up, because we live only a block down the hill," said John Mesich.

It was a moment of panic on Monday morning that no parent wants to experience.

"I got a text them from one of my middle sons, who said that the bus has just flipped. So of course, we're thinking the worst," he explained.

Five of Mesich's children were on the bus at the time. He and his wife were the first at the scene.

"Some of the kids had exited the bus already, some were still in process of exiting the bus, so immediately we just tried to get as many more kids off the bus as possible," Mesich told CBS 58.

Four of his own kids went to the hospital.

Luckily, they were released, but with head and neck injuries.

"They're very scared," Mesich said. "They're concerned for some of their classmates who may have gotten hurt a little bit more than they did, and they're also not wanting to ride a bus for a while."

Now, Mesich wants to see something change at the intersection where it happened.

"We have near-misses here almost all the time. Probably several times a week that I even see. There's blind spots everywhere around this intersection," he explained.

Mesich says there are issues in every direction, and he believes the best fix is a four-way stop with flashing lights.

"I don't want anybody to die at this intersection," Mesich said.

He has been collecting letters of support from neighbors who want to see a safer intersection. He said he has gotten over a dozen and plans to bring them to the county.

"I've reached out to everybody who is in this area within a couple-mile radius," he said. "They're all concerned. They'd like to see something change here."

As for his kids, Mesich said they're recovering at home on the couch.