Janesville man in critical condition after rearending school bus

ROCK COUNTY – On Tuesday, Jan 5 at 3:36 p.m., Deputies from the Rock County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a car vs. school bus crash on W. USH 14 approximately .6 of a mile west of N. Fox Road in Center Township.

Fire/EMS personnel from the Village of Footville responded, along with Paramedics from the City of Janesville Fire Dept.

On arrival, Deputies discovered an eastbound 2001 Ford Escort, driven by a 36 year-old Janesville man, was pinned underneath the rear of an eastbound 2005 Thomas Built School Bus, owned by Ringhand Brothers of Evansville, Wis.

The school bus, carrying 24 school-aged children, was driven by a 60-year-old Madison man who was slowing to a stop to release kids from the bus.

The Janesville man was extricated from the Ford Escort by fire personnel with the assistance of a skid loader, which was used to lift the back end of the bus to free the car from underneath it.

Three of the bus passengers received minor injuries, two of which were transported to Mercy Hospital and Trauma Center in Janesville, where they were expected to be treated and released.

The bus driver and all other children were uninjured in the crash and the children were released to parents at the scene.

The 36-year-old Janesville man was admitted to Mercy Hospital and Trauma Center, where he was listed in critical condition. Names were not being released at this time.

Troopers and Inspectors from the Wisconsin State Patrol responded to reconstruct the crash and conduct an inspection of the school bus.

The Rock County Hwy. Dept. assisted in closing the highway for nearly 3.5 hours as a result. The crash remains under investigation, and no citations or charges have been issued at this time.