WINDSOR – A bus carrying the Springfield High School girls basketball team crashed Tuesday night after colliding with a wrecked car on icy Interstate 91, according to state police.
Around 9:40 p.m., the car, driven by Logan Batchelder of Claremont, New Hampshire, went out of control on the “icy” highway and veered into a guardrail, state police said in a statement. He was taken to Mount Ascutney Hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
Springfield Schools Superintendent Sherri Nichols wrote in an email Wednesday that “no student injuries were reported, observed or assessed” and that 11 varsity athletes were on board the bus.
“When the students returned to Springfield High School, Athletic Director (Rich) Saypack met the bus and rechecked all students for injuries. The district has offered counseling services to all families and players,” Nichols wrote, thanking the coaches, bus driver and first responders for their work after the crash.
A driver, who was heading north on I-91 shortly after the crash, reported seeing “a fire truck and several ambulances and police cars” at the scene. George McNulty was driving from Connecticut to Barre Tuesday night when he saw emergency vehicles and the school bus. Naturally, he was worried.
“I looked up and saw a lot of bright lights in front of me, and I assumed they were snowplows,” he said in an interview. About 2 kilometers after the crash, he saw two fire trucks blocking the road, which made him think the crash “was really, really bad.”
He described the roads at the time as “slippery”, albeit with more moisture than snow.
“There was some water pooling on the tire tracks in the passing lane, which made me want to drive a little slower,” he said.
According to police, the investigation ruled out any impairment on the part of the two drivers. Batchelder received civil violations for the incident.
