Blue Hill Begins Healing Following Fatal School Bus Crash

By: Steve Ross Email

Updated: Fri 10:41 PM, Sep 07, 2012

Wednesday evening's rural road multiple fatality crash between a semi truck and a Blue Hill Community School bus has focused local residents' thoughts -- and prayers -- on rural driving safety.

"Sometimes you come down a hill and you can't really see the, the road that you're intersecting with because of corn growing in that field, and you really have to slow down, and wait and look both ways," said Reverend Steve Marsh of Blue Hill United Methodist Church.

Reverend Marsh and another area pastor led a Thursday night prayer vigil in memory of those lost in the crash, to begin the healing.

"At least to try to help come together to, you know, share the importance of being careful on country roads with unmarked intersections, and not take it for granted that there's not going to be another vehicle coming, and so, hopefully, prevent this from happening again," Rev. Marsh said.

At the scene of the accident there remains little but charred debris, but for the people of Blue Hill there remain questions as to how the accident occurred, and why.

Some local residents cited limited visibility as a possible cause of the accident. Results of an official accident investigation have not yet been released.

As of July, Nebraska's rural road fatalities were up 84% over the same period in 2011, a five-year peak.

Tonight the Blue Hill Community Schools varsity football team will play Doniphan/Trumbull.

"With everything we've gone through we just felt that this game should be played. For the community as a place to come together, support one another, and just as an opportunity to kind of, maybe start to heal," explained Blue Hill Community Schools athletic director Joel Morgan.

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