Schoolgirl, 10, in critical condition after bus crash

Cheryl Miller

Tuesday, July 27, 1999 | 10:15 a.m.

Two girls remained hospitalized this morning, one in critical condition, after the school bus they were riding in Monday morning collided with a pickup carrying welding equipment.

The accident sent 15 children from Roger Bryan Elementary School and the bus driver to University Medical Center. All the victims but the two girls were treated and released. One girl, a 10-year-old who was reportedly thrown under a seat during the crash, sustained serious head injuries. The other girl, also 10, was listed in fair condition.

Clark County School District sent a team of crisis counselors to Bryan School yesterday and again this morning to work with students who had concerns about the accident, according to a district spokeswoman.

The bus was carrying 52 first through fifth grade students around 8:30 a.m. when the driver, George Beck, 45, came to a stop at the intersection of Spring Mountain and Fort Apache roads. The bus then continued eastbound on Spring Mountain.

Beck told police a pickup driven southbound on Fort Apache by Samuel Ford, 44, of Las Vegas, headed through the intersection without stopping. Police say Beck slammed on the brakes but the bus struck the truck's right front and side.

Crews from the Clark County Fire Department, Metro Police and school district police all responded to the accident scene. Police are still investigating the accident, but a detective with the traffic detail said this morning that it is likely Ford will be cited for running a stop sign.

A school counselor and school vice principal met with the victims and their families as they were taken to the hospital Monday. Once notified of the accident, the school began calling parents of bus-riders, according to district spokeswoman Mary Stanley-Larsen.

The accident points out the need for parents to make sure their children are registered as bus-riders, she said.

Seats in the bus did not have seat belts and are not required to by law, Stanley-Larsen said.

Children who were not injured in the accident were loaded onto another bus and taken to school, where many were taken home by their parents.

Bryan is a year-round school that is nearing the end of its academic year, Stanley-Larsen said.