Student dies after being hit by truck while boarding school bus in Wisconsin

REEDSBURG, Wis. (WMTV/Gray News) – A student died Friday morning after being struck by a pickup truck while trying to get onto the school bus in the town of Excelsior, the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.

According to the sheriff’s office, the school bus had stopped along State Hwy. 23/33, near Northwoods Drive, shortly before 7:30 a.m. The student had not boarded yet when a Ford F-250 that was headed the same way came up behind the bus. The driver did not slow down in time and swerved to the right to avoid the bus, investigators determined.

Authorities said the full-sized pickup sideswiped the right side of the bus and crossed a driveway where it hit the student. First responders attempted life-saving measures, but the student was pronounced dead at the scene.

None of the students on the bus were hurt in the collision, the sheriff’s office indicated. They were taken to Webb Middle School to be reunited with their families. The School District of Reedsburg plans to have resources available for the families involved, it noted.

The driver of the pickup suffered minor injuries, the sheriff’s office said.

The sheriff’s office has not released the names of anyone involved pending notification of the family.

The crash remains under investigation. Both directions of the highway were closed for nearly five hours while authorities investigated the crash.

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