CARROLL COUNTY, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky State Police have released the names of the two children killed in yesterday's Head Start school bus crash in Carrollton, Ky. They are Ryder Deitz and Caroline Tuttle, both three years old.
As of 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, a Kosair spokesperson said three of the other children hurt in the bus crash are still at Kosair Children's Hospital in Louisville. Two of those children are in ICU, but are in stable condition. The other child has been moved to a regular bed and is in good condition.
One other child was released from Kosair and allowed to go home Tuesday.
The bus assistant is being treated at the UK Medical Center.
Stacy Tuttle, who is Caroline Tuttle's mother, released this statement to WDRB News online:
"Thank you all for your prayers, calls, emails, and texts. Our hearts are broken over the death of our sweet Caroline. We thank you for your compassion while our family deals with this personal tragedy and ask you to please respect our privacy. Visitation will be held from Thursday from 4-8 at Family Worship Center in Carrollton. Her funeral will be at 2 p.m. on Friday. Visitation will from 10am until the time of the service.
We have set up an account through Farmers Bank of Milton that we would prefer contributions made to in lieu of flowers. This fund is the Caroline Tuttle - Tuttle Tots Early Childhood Educator scholarship fund. Caroline loved her time at school in both the Early Headstart and Headstart Programs. We want her death to be remembered by the joy she had in the school system and help fund teachers in their academic endeavor that focus in early childhood development.."
As far as the investigation, police do have a theory as to what may have happened. The cold and drizzle matched the mood in Carrollton as state police poured over the accident scene, trying to piece together what happened.
"We know what happened, that the bus went off the roadway and hit the tree, but as to the cause of it, no not yet. It's going to take a while for the teams to get together and piece everything together and figure it out," said Trooper Brad Arterburn.
One investigator told WDRB's Lawrence Smith off-camera that it appears the bus driver went off the right side of the road, over-corrected, then veered off the left side, flipped over and hit the tree.
The speed limit on the road is 35 miles per hour. It's unclear as to what role speed may have played, or whether there was another vehicle involved.
This accident scene has already become a makeshift memorial as Carrollton grieves the loss of two children. Ian and Jennifer Munsae came to pay their respects. "Just want to show my support for the community, for our town here and for the families. It's a really sad situation," said Ian.
"Of course, it brings back the 1988 wreck that was so horrible. The kids weren't from Carrollton, but we loved them just as much. It was just a terrible thing to happen in this community twice," said Jennifer.
The bus has been moved to the National Guard Armory in Carrollton, where it's being inspected by a second team of investigators.
"They're going to examine it, check for any mechanical issues that may have happened; any other things that may have contributed to the crash," said Trooper Arterburn.
At Kosair Children's Hospital, it appears some of those injured have long recoveries ahead.
"Several fractures, leg fractures as well as some skull fractures. One of the children has what we call a pulmonary contusion. The lungs were bruised," said Cis Gruebbel, chief Nursing officer at Kosair Children's Hospital.
Meanwhile, Carrollton waits for answers. "The bus driver, we know her. She's a great person. She's worked for the school for a long time. She's got a great reputation. So, we have no clue," said Jennifer Munsae.
Carroll County Schools canceled the Head Start program for Tuesday. The superintendent said, in a statement, "Words cannot describe the grief that our families and staff are experiencing."
The statement goes on to say, "Please keep us all in your prayers."
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