A 57-year-old West Bend man died Feb. 5 after the vehicle he was driving struck a school bus in the town of Cedarburg, according to the Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office.
Darren Hess was pinned inside his 2018 Dodge Ram pickup truck and required extrication. The officials attempted life-saving efforts but he died at the scene.
No children were on the bus at the time of the crash, according to a news release send by the sheriff’s office.
The Riteway bus driver, 71-year-old Deda Odekirk-Schuh of Saukville, who was the sole occupant on the bus, had minor injuries and was transported to a local hospital.
Authorities responded to the two-vehicle crash on County Highway I, north of Cedar Creak Road, at approximately 1:18 p.m.
Witness statements and the initial investigation indicated the pickup truck, driven by Hess, was traveling southbound on County Highway I when it drifted over the centerline, according to the release.
Authorities said the truck crossed into the northbound lane and struck the school bus head-on.
Both lanes of County Highway I between Pleasant Valley and Cedar Creek roads were closed for about four hours while a crash reconstruction was conducted. The lanes reopened around 5:21 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office.
The Ozaukee County Highway Department, Cedarburg Fire Department, Ozaukee Central Fire Department, Cedarburg Police Department, Saukville Police Department, Wisconsin State Patrol, Ozaukee County Emergency Management, Ozaukee Crash Reconstruction Team and Ozaukee County Drone Team assisted the Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office at the accident scene.
The crash remains under investigation pending the results of the crash reconstruction, autopsy and toxicology results.
Cathy Kozlowicz can be reached at 262-361-9132 or cathy.kozlowicz@jrn.com. Follow her on X at @kozlowicz_cathy
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: West Bend man dies in Ozaukee County school bus crash; driver injured, police say
Reporting by Cathy Kozlowicz, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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