Hibbing School Bus Rollover Sends 11 to Hospital, Driver Airlifted

Sep 12

A school bus carrying 20 students rolled over Thursday morning following a collision with an SUV at the intersection of Highway 5 and Townline Road in Hibbing.

Officials say the crash happened at 7:50 a.m. as the bus was heading northbound to Cherry School. The bus was struck by a 2006 Toyota RAV4, causing it to tip onto its side, Hibbing Fire Chief Erik Jankila said.

The bus driver, identified as 52-year-old Shawn Allen Lindula of Iron, Minn. was wearing a seatbelt and suffered non-life-threatening injuries. He was transported to Essentia Health Virginia for treatment.

The driver of the SUV, 19-year-old Svea Lynn Snickers of Alborn, Minn. suffered life-threatening injuries in the crash. Emergency responders had to extricate her from the vehicle, which sustained significant damage. Snickers was airlifted to Essentia Hospital in Duluth. She was also reported to have been wearing a seatbelt, and alcohol was not involved in the crash.

Witnesses at the scene reported that several students crawled out of the overturned bus following the crash. First responders from Hibbing Fire/EMS arrived quickly, supported by emergency crews from Chisholm, Buhl, and Virginia. Jankila said due to the scale of the incident, a mass casualty system was put in place to ensure there were enough resources to treat potential injuries.

“The mass casualty response allowed us to have more ambulances available than we ultimately needed,” Jankila said.

In total, 11 people from the bus were transported to local hospitals—10 students and the bus driver—with non-life-threatening injuries. Law enforcement and school officials worked together to account for all students at the scene.

Jankila noted that a second air medical unit was on standby at Range Regional Airport but was not needed.

Chief Jankila praised the efforts of first responders and the cooperation between agencies, saying, “Everyone did a great job under difficult circumstances.”

Officials thanked passersby who assisted the students and Shubat Transportation for providing transportation for the uninjured students.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

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