Team Bus Crash: Girls Released From Hospital, District Mourns

MCCLEAN COUNTY, IL — A 72-year-old team volunteer and the driver of a semi were killed and three other adults were life-flighted from the scene Wednesday night when a school bus carrying members of the Normal West High School JV girls basketball team collided with a semi that was going the wrong way on westbound I-74 near Bloomington, according to multiple reports. State police identified the volunteer as Charles Crabtree of Normal. School district officials said all players were released from the hospital on Thursday.

The driver of the semi, 34-year-old Ryan Hute, of Delmar, Iowa, died after being flown to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, according to ABC Chicago. Toxicology results are pending, according to the Peoria County coroner, and it was not known if Hute was wearing a seat belt, ABC reported.

On Facebook, McClean County Unit District 5 officials said the school community is "devastated" by Crabtree's death, and that the condition of the other injured adults was unknown as of midnight.

State police told the Pantagraph the other injured adult was a coach, and Normal West Athletic Director Stan Lewis said the team was returning from a game at Champaign Central.

School officials said 11 people were on the bus at the time of the crash, including eight students. All the students were taken to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries and released on Thursday, according to the district.

On Thursday, the district said the varsity basketball team would play as scheduled despite the tragedy, but not the junior varsity team.

"Our girls and coaches want to play the varsity game tonight. We will play Richwoods at Normal West at 7:30 PM," District 5 said on Facebook. "The JV game had been canceled. Please continue to keep Normal West, and Charlie Crabtree's family in your thoughts."

Crabtree worked for Country Financial for nearly 36 years. His LinkedIn page also lists him as a "school bus driver extraordinaire" at McClean County schools for 18 years.

State police said the crash occurred at around 8:32 p.m. when a semi heading the wrong way collided head-on with the school bus, according to the Pantagraph.

The crash reportedly occurred around mile marker 137 between the Downs and U.S. 51/Main Street exits.

The school district said staff was on hand to support students and parents.

The Normal West bus crash happened hours after another school bus crash — this one in Indiana — claimed the life of a 13-year-old student during a field trip to a Christmas musical.

Photo via Shutterstock