Driver dies in crash with school bus carrying volleyball players, MN officials say
A school bus carrying volleyball players was heading back from away games when it collided with a car, according to a Minnesota school district.
The driver of a 2006 Ford Mustang was killed, Minnesota State Patrol said, and seven teenagers were injured.
Authorities said the school bus was traveling east on Interstate 90 when it collided with the westbound Mustang at about 8:40 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26. State officials have not publicly said what caused the crash.
Mark Alan Tigner, 55, died in the crash, according to state authorities. He was from Brandon, South Dakota.
“Our hearts break for the gentleman who passed away in the accident,” Waseca Public Schools Superintendent Eric Hudspith told KEYC. “Our thoughts go out to his family. We hoped that this would never happen to anyone, but we are grateful that injuries to our student and staff weren’t severe. We are supporting them moving forward.”
Seven teenagers on the school bus — five 14-year-old girls, a 15-year-old girl and a 16-year-old girl — were taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to the crash report. A 24-year-old female passenger and the 79-year-old male driver were not injured.
“While the state patrol is continuing to investigate the accident, we can confirm that no Waseca students or staff were seriously injured in the incident, and we are following up with students and families to support them through this event,” the district said in an Aug. 27 Facebook post. “Unfortunately, partial reports can result in misinformation being shared, so we wanted to give our school community the most accurate update we could without interrupting law enforcement’s work.”
The Waseca Public Schools athletics calendar shows the volleyball teams had games scheduled in Fairmont, about 85 miles southwest of Waseca, before the crash.
Waseca is about 70 miles south of Minneapolis.
This story was originally published August 29, 2023 at 7:54 AM with the headline "Driver dies in crash with school bus carrying volleyball players, MN officials say."