Bluffton University bus accident

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The Bluffton University bus accident was a serious automobile accident which occurred during the early morning hours of March 2, 2007. An Executive Coach Luxury Travel, Inc. charter bus, carrying Bluffton University baseball players from Ohio on their way to their first tournament game during spring break in Sarasota, Florida, fell off an overpass and back onto Interstate 75 in northwestern Atlanta, Georgia.^[1][2]

Thirty-three players and coaches were aboard a private team charter heading south on Interstate 75 in the high-occupancy vehicle lane. The driver, Jerome Niemeyer, apparently mistaken, drove left onto an exit ramp for Northside Drive (U.S. 41). The ramp, constructed in 1986, rose upward to a wide elevated road and a T-junction marked by a stop sign.^[3]

Without braking, the bus swerved rightward across the road, attempting to go southbound on Northside Drive. Unable to make the turn, it hit the low barrier wall, which caused the back end of the bus to swing around to the right, pointing it due northbound. The momentum of this swing caused the entire right side of the bus to crash into and then over the low wall and through the guard rail on top of it. Flipping over 270° (¾-rotation), it dropped to the freeway below, landing on its left side and hitting a pickup truck. The pickup's driver, who rapidly accelerated when he saw the bus plunging, was not hurt.^[4]

Contents 1 Details 1.1 Executive Coach charter bus 1.2 Bluffton University 1.3 Bus driver 1.4 Before the accident 1.5 Hospital response 2 Fatalities 3 Injuries 4 Cause and investigation 4.1 National Transportation Safety Board report 4.1.1 I-75 and HOV lane in Atlanta 4.1.2 Aftereffects 5 Reactions 5.1 Funerals 5.2 Memorial services 5.3 Statements 5.4 Lawsuits 6 Special Investigations Unit: Fatal Journey 7 9-1-1 call to Atlanta emergency services 8 See also 8.1 Similar accidents 9 External links 10 References

[edit] Details

[edit] Executive Coach charter bus

Executive Coach Luxury Travel, Inc. is the company of which the charter bus was used from out of Ottawa, Ohio, only about 10 miles north of Bluffton.^[5]

[edit] Bluffton University

Main article: Bluffton University

Bluffton University is located in Bluffton, Ohio, about 50 miles or 80km south of Toledo, Ohio. The university is a Christian liberal arts college affiliated with Mennonite Church USA. It was founded in 1899 as Central Mennonite College and became Bluffton College in 1913. The name Bluffton University was adopted later on in 2004.

Bluffton is a member of NCAA Division III and the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. Its sports teams are nicknamed the Beavers; the school colors are royal purple and white.

[edit] Bus driver

Jerome "Jerry" Niemeyer and his wife, Jean Niemeyer, were residents of the small town of Columbus Grove in Putnam County, Ohio, only a few minutes' drive away from Bluffton. Jerry had been driving buses for years for several school events and trips, specifically for Executive Coach Luxury Travel Inc. He had transported the team on the same route a year before. Shortly before the team's 2007 trip to Florida, Jean quit her job at the local McDonald's in Ottawa, Ohio.

Residents of these small towns said that the couple would try to be together whenever they had the chance. They would give their self in their job and career according to several residents and co-workers.

[edit] Before the accident

Jerry Niemeyer took over as the driver earlier in the morning at a motel in Adairsville, Georgia when it was time for a driver switch. Shortly before this he and his wife, Jean Niemeyer, checked out of their hotel at around 3 a.m. and put in an order from the local pizza parlor.

[edit] Hospital response

The majority of the injured baseball players were transported to Grady Memorial Hospital, one of the largest hospitals in Atlanta, Georgia with a level 1 trauma center. An entire wing was cleared out for the baseball players and their families. Several players were also treated at Atlanta Medical Center, a Level 2 Trauma Center. The team coach was treated at Piedmont Hospital.

[edit] Fatalities

Seven fatalities overall were recorded. One baseball player, Tim Berta, 22, of Ida, Michigan was in fair condition as of April 13.^[6] Of the 35 people on the bus, the following individuals were killed as a result of the crash.^{[7][8][9][10]}

People who died in the Bluffton University Bus Accident
Name	Year	Age	Hometown	Position	Death Date
Zachary Arend	Freshman	18	Oakwood, Ohio		March 9, 2007 (from injuries)
David Betts	Sophomore	20	Bryan, Ohio	Second-Baseman	March 2, 2007
Scott Harmon	Freshman	19	Lima, Ohio	Third-Baseman	March 2, 2007
Cody Holp	Freshman	19	Arcanum, Ohio	Pitcher	March 2, 2007
Jean Niemeyer		61	Columbus Grove, Ohio	Bus Driver's wife	March 2, 2007
Jerome Niemeyer		65	Columbus Grove, Ohio	Bus Driver	March 2, 2007
Tyler Williams	Sophomore	19	Lima, Ohio	Outfielder	March 2, 2007

[edit] Injuries

The 29 passengers that originally survived the crash were taken to Atlanta-area hospitals, including Grady, Atlanta Medical Center, and Piedmont Hospital. Baseball coach James Grandey, 29, and four players were reported in serious or critical condition, one of whom, Zachery Arend, later passed away. As of March 15, 2007, James Grandey, was reported in good condition and released. Many of the others were treated and released.^[11]

[edit] Cause and investigation

The current cause is unknown, but allegedly poor design of the exit itself has become the primary source of blame.^[12] The Atlanta Police Department and National Transportation Safety Board are currently investigating. Meanwhile, preliminary tests have ruled out the possibility of a mechanical failure.^[13]

[edit] National Transportation Safety Board report

A preliminary report was issued about a week after the accident, according to the NTSB chairman.

[edit] I-75 and HOV lane in Atlanta

Of particular interest in the investigation is the design of the exit itself. Several factors appear to have played a possible role:

• The exit is on the left side of the highway and not the right side;
• Inadequate advance notice may be given of this atypical setup;
• The HOV exit is signed differently than most exits;
• The arrow on the exit sign may mislead drivers where the HOV lane continues;
• The exit ramp supposedly has poor signage.^[14]

[edit] Aftereffects

The Georgia Department of Transportation will make changes to all seven of the left-hand lane HOV interchanges in Atlanta, starting March 14, 2007.^[15]

Doctors from Grady Memorial Hospital began phoning congressmen from Ohio and Georgia soon after the accident urging them to put seat belts on charter buses to avoid this situation in the near future.

For a list of changes see Changes ordered for bus crash HOV ramp.

[edit] Reactions

[edit] Funerals

The funeral for Jean Niemeyer, wife of bus driver, and Jerome Niemeyer, bus driver, took place on March 7, 2007 at St. Anthony's Catholic Parish in Columbus Grove, Ohio.^[16]

The funeral for David Betts took place at Bryan High School in Bryan, Ohio on March 9, 2007. Scott Harmon was eulogized on March 7, 2007 at Elida High School in Elida, Ohio just west of Bluffton, Ohio. A service for Tyler Williams was held March 8, 2007 at Phillipian Missionary Baptist Church in Lima, Ohio.^[17]

Cody Holp was laid to rest in Lewisburg, Ohio where funeral services took place at Lewisburg United Methodist Church on March 8, 2007.^[18] A mass of Christian burial took place March 16, 2007 for Zachary Arend at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Paulding, Ohio at 10 a.m.^[19]

[edit] Memorial services

Hundreds of people packed Founders Hall on the Bluffton University campus for the memorial service on March 12, 2007, and an overflow audience listened outside as the student body mourned together for the first time. The service was attended by Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, numerous other public officials, college and university representatives, Mennonite Church officials, AirTran employees, other athletes from colleges in the same conference, and fire and rescue personnel.

The memorial ceremony was aired live by satellite to Georgia, where the team's coach and several other players were still recovering in the hospital.^[20]

[edit] Statements

• Student, Sherrolyn Young, who attended Bluffton University in Ohio released this statement to the press:

“

We're all friends, if you were not friends with them, you were friends with someone who was friends with them.

”

• Rev. Ron Warnimont told The Lima News out of Lima, Ohio this about Jerome and Jean Niemeyer:

“

They gave of self, in their jobs, in their careers. They both were very much in the service business, whether it be Jerry when he was driving his bus or when Jean was helping customers at the bank or helping people at McDonald’s.

”

• Executive Coach Luxury Travel, Inc. out of Ottawa, Ohio posted this statement on their website shortly after the accident:^[21]

“

We at Executive Coach Luxury Travel Inc. are deeply saddened by this tragedy. We are continuing to cooperate with the officials investigating the accident in Atlanta, Ga. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the victims and their families.

”

• Senior, Steve Bogan, who attended Bluffton University released this statement to the press:^[22]

“

It's definitely awakened a lot of people. We may be young, we're not invincible, any one of us could be taken at any time, so it just makes us appreciate all the more the time that we do have with our loved ones and friends.

”

• Donald Pannabecker, vice president and dean of academic affairs emritus, told The Lima News this:^[23]

“

We have learned that small-town values extend beyond this small village in Ohio. Bluffton, Ohio, and Atlanta, Ga., have more in common than we might have thought.

”

[edit] Lawsuits

A lawsuit was filed by the mother of one of the players several months later on September 28th, against Bluffton University, the company that made the bus, the charter company that provided it and the driver, and the city of Atlanta. This is despite the fact that there was no mechanical failure on the bus, and the city of Atlanta has nothing whatsoever to do with the exit in question, as it is entirely the responsibility of the state DOT. Additionally, there is nothing which would tie the university to the accident.

[edit] Special Investigations Unit: Fatal Journey

Here is a segment of the transcript of the recent Special Investigations Unit: Fatal Journey that aired on CNN on March 10, 2007 and March 11, 2007.^[24]

Griffin (CNN Reporter): It is not until you actually approach this split in the road that you're directed to exit left, or stay straight on southbound 75. For reasons we will never know, Jerry Niemeyer steered his bus left on to this exit ramp. He apparently didn't realize it. It's at this moment Kyle King seated four rows behind the driver in this seat is listening to music, half asleep, and hears the only warning.

Kyle King, Bus Crash Survivor: And I woke up to the bus -- the driver's wife screaming.

Griffin (CNN Reporter): Jean Niemeyer was sitting in the front with her husband.

Kyle King, Bus Crash Survivor: She said something like, this isn't the exit or the on ramp or something. Then I remember hearing the bus driver saying something. Then I actually heard the tires squeal of him trying to get it back on control.

Griffin (CNN Reporter): Despite being on a clearly marked exit ramp, stop signs ahead and a stop ahead warning painted on the pavement, Atlanta police say bus driver Jerry Niemeyer hit the intersection without braking. His bus blew through the stop sign, across four lanes of traffic and headed straight toward a retaining wall.

Maj. CW Moss, Atlanta Police: We don't have any evidence on the road to suggest the bus had attempted to stop. There were no skid marks laid down that we were able to determine. As to the reason for that, that remains under investigation. We hope we'll ultimately get an answer to that.

Griffin (CNN Reporter): This skid mark of wheels turning right is the only evidence of Niemeyer's futile attempt to avoid disaster.

AJ Ramthun, Bus Crash Survivor: I woke up as soon as the bus hit the overpass's wall. And that's when I looked up and the bus landed on the left side, which is the side I was sitting on. I just looked out and saw the road coming up after me. And it just -- that's all.

[edit] 9-1-1 call to Atlanta emergency services

At 5:41 AM, a 9-1-1 call came in from Brandon Freytag on the charter bus, pleading for help.^[25]

• Operator: Atlanta 911 Emergency.
• Caller: Yes. We've just been in a bus accident. A bunch of students. I don't know where we're at.
• Operator: I need a location.
• Caller: Where we at, sir?
• Voice in background: You're on 75 South.
• Caller: 75 South.
• Voice in background: I got somebody coming.
• Caller: We've got somebody coming, okay?

[edit] See also

[edit] Similar accidents

• 2006 Huntsville bus accident
• Carrollton bus disaster

[edit] External links

• Bluffton University bus accident is at coordinates 33°48′09″N 84°24′27″W / 33.8026, -84.4076 (Bluffton University bus accident)Coordinates: 33°48′09″N 84°24′27″W / 33.8026, -84.4076 (Bluffton University bus accident)
• NTSB update on May 24th

[edit] References