Officer rear ends school bus

A Superior Police Department officer drove a squad car into the back of a Superior school bus stopped at the railroad crossing along Belknap Street near Hill Avenue on Friday morning. Both vehicles were traveling westbound.

No children were on the bus at the time and there was no damage to the bus, according to the Superior school district Transportation Director Tom Geisler.

Officer Jon McKinnon, the liaison officer to the Superior elementary schools, was driving the squad, according to Superior Police Sgt. Chris Kirchoff. The accident caused slight damage to the front hood of the squad car, an older vehicle scheduled to be replaced in a year or so, he said.

School buses turn on their four-way hazard lights a minimum of 100 feet before a railroad crossing, Geisler said. Between 15 and 50 feet before the crossing itself, the driver stops the bus and opens the door and window to better see or hear a train. Bus drivers keep their hazard lights on as they cross the track.

Police Chief Charles LaGesse said the officer will be issued a citation for inattentive driving.

“Everybody needs to pay attention,” Kirchoff said. “When you’re driving, pay attention to the road.”

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