LINCOLN, Maine — A 6-year-old girl was hit by an RSU 67 school bus at Clark and Ariel streets after she was let off the bus with other riders on Wednesday, police said.
Police Chief William Lawrence declined to release the girl’s name until he was sure all of her relatives had been notified of the accident, which was reported about 2:45 p.m.
LifeFlight helicopter flew the girl from Penobscot Valley Hospital in Lincoln to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. Lawrence was unsure of the extent of her injuries, but said that she was “responsive, awake and talking at the scene.”
“She was that way at the hospital, too,” Lawrence said.
The bus driver, Casey Voisine, had not been charged in connection with the accident as of 6:30 p.m. Police still are compiling eyewitness accounts. Lawrence asked anyone who saw the accident to call Detective David Cram at 794-8455.
Investigators have only a general idea of what happened, Lawrence said.
“Some time after she left the bus and cleared the bus, somehow she came underneath the bus and was struck, possibly by the wheel and the underside of the bus,” Lawrence said. “We are not sure how that occurred right now.”
State police Troopers Larry Anderson, who was off duty, and Thomas Fiske are assisting local police with the investigation.
State police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement division inspectors examined the bus on Wednesday and found no mechanical faults that could have contributed to the accident, Lawrence said.
The intersection of Clark and Ariel streets sits atop a short but steep hill and adjoins Taylor Street Extension and High Street south of Mattanawcook Lake.
Prayers, thankful she recieved medical attention immediately.
Prayers to the little girl, and her family. Also to the bus driver.
Poor child. My prayers went up for her.
The family is in my thoughts at this time, hoping for a speedy recovery!!
It may have not been the bus, possibly a passing car. She is 6.
It was the bus. I know the driver and she is just sick over this!!
come on the st sign says edwards St
Monkeysgrams….Clearly you don’t know this area…Edwards St is the street before Arial St…maybe YOU ought to get your facts straight before you knock something you have no clue about. BDN is reporting accurate information on this one…the picture shows the officers right at the bottom of Aerial St. Find something else to complain about! This is a tragic situation and NOTHING should be posted on here but positive thoughts and prayers for all of those involved.
I live in this town and you cant see the sign of Arial st. from edwards t. and yes this is a tragic for everyone, we all feel for this little girl and her family and bus driver
It’s Ariel, with an E not an A.
Thanks for the spelling lesson…..
I am sooo glad we got the spelling straightened out because that was something that really needed to be addressed….
Postive thoughts to all involved. Second, I can see the edwards street sign in this photo, which is clearly taken from another street. Well unless they put street signs 100ft away from the corners of the roads in Lincoln.
first off, I will say a pray for the child and hope for a speedy recovery.
As a bus driver this has got to be your biggest fear. We are trained to make sure all kids are clear of the bus but still a child could drop apiece of paper and chases it under the bud, I`m not saying this is what happened. But this is exactly what happened several years ago to me. Why was this child let off without an adult present to meet the child. In Baileyville last year a child was let off and nobody was home, they have change that policy, now an adult has to meet the younger kids or they go back to the school. Maybe Lincoln should look into a new policy.
When I was a child I rode the bus. We were one of the last stops and it was on a long downhill grade. We got out of school early and rode home. By the time we got to our bus stop, the bus never came to a complete stop because of the ice, so we had to jump out of a moving bus and walk in front of it. I fell and was saved by the fact that I had a plant at school and brought it home that night. the dirt from the shattered pot gave the neighborhood boy enough traction to pull me from in front of the moving bus. I never rode the bus again when it was icy–I would walk home on route 1 and jump into snowbanks when I heard trucks coming. They are a catch-22 as far as being safe on icy roads. As a child you have to cross in front of them and sometimes that is just as dangerous.
Sounds like quite a STORY…
I’ll say. When I was young, walking home from school, I was taken aboard a space ship and…well, do you watch South Park?
You people are mean. Aliens are looking for intelligence.
LOL!! Nice one!
LOL…..
…
Lincoln does have a similar policy for children 4th grade and lower unless that child(ren) have siblings in higher grades. I think the difficult part of this situation is this: this sounds like a bus stop where many children get off at once. It only takes a second for the bus driver to takes his/her eyes of the children getting off to look at the children who are still on the bus, thus not realizing ALL children have cleared the bus. Another scenerio, the bus driver saw ALL children clear but had others acting up on the bus and waited for them to settle before two timing it’s route and while looking in the mirror at those acting, the little girl ran back in front of the bus unbeknown to the driver. Why? Only the little girl knows … I just hope the little girl makes it through this with only the memory of what happened and that adults learn a lesson as well…if they can’t be present, to make sure they instruct a responsible sibling to keep a close on on their younger siblings when exiting the bus.
If LifeFlight helicopter flew her to Bangor then it must be very serious since Lincoln is just a hop skip and a jump STAT ambulance trip to EMMC. Don’t get me wrong, I hope she’s ok… just can’t help to wonder why a recent serious accident resulting in a fatality wasn’t taken as seriously??
i wouldn’t bring my cat to lincoln hospital. so it didn’t have to be serious to go to bangor. i hope the little girl is ok and i will be praying for her
LifeFlight does not fly in snowstorms and high winds aloft. A person in charge of LifeFlight said LifeFlight was not available due to the storm.
A child involved usually gets a faster response then an adult. Little ones go sour fast. Getting to the hospital is critical no matter the problem when a child is in an accident.
Praying for this little girl.
Have any of your (and other parents) concerns been brought to the attention of school personnel? You have to go thru the chain of command…….bus driver, head of transportation, principal, superintendant, school board.
That works so well.
You have to go thru the chain of command. If nothing is done on each level, then you go to the next. If the situation came to the point of contacting a lawyer, they will need to see that every step has been taken and everything is documented. Not only will the school have it documented, but you should, also.
and when that doesn’t work, where do you go then? Get a lawyer and sue?
Make the complaint to the proper channels and if that doesn’t work…….get legal advice.
If I feel my child is at risk, I would not go through anyones channel of command. I take it right to the top!
You do that and see how well it works. I am a former school board member, having gotten done at the end of my term in July 2011. (three terms actually). When parents would come to us, complaining about something, they would be asked if they talked to the teacher, bus driver, or who ever the complaint is about…..then go to the principal. The answer is usually, NO……but a meeting is then set up with the parent and person it involves. Nine times out of ten, the probelm is resolved…..or at our school it is, anyway…….and it should be that way at every school, which I know, it isn’t.
Amazing, a bus driver that what down shifts then floors the gas when they are approaching a stop? Are you sure the driver just isn’t all that good at standard shift maybe? People think they need to rev an engine while downshifting, on newer vechicles it’s not good to do but people like to stick to old ways. Boys and young men like the noise and old guys just can’t get past old ways so this driver may have been taught wrong. Therefore people assume the driver is speeding up from engine sound.
When I was a kid we had a high school student who was the “bus monitor”. He stood on the steps and walked around keeping an eye on us.Broke up disagreements. If there was 3 in a seat, he’d have someone move and sit with a kid sitting alone. If you wanted to move you asked him, he’d say sure when the bus stops. He stopped seat hopping when the bus was moving. He also got off the bus and made sure traffic was stopped, made sure all the kids got across the road safely and if a kid dropped a paper and it blew under the bus, the driver would throw on the emergency brake and the monitor went under the bus for the lost item then made sure the child moved to a safe place before getting back on the bus.
I would suggest bringing this back, I would suggest those parents who think this is an easy job, go ahead and offer to ride as a monitor. I dare any complainer to do this underpaid and completely unappreciated job.
I do hope this child recovers fully and without serious permanent injury.
When you down shift the RPM’s of the engine are going to increase, that is a no brainer… They down shift to help with braking.
Apparently it is a brainer, because if you down shift with the
RPM to low your wheels will slow down instantly and on dry pavement
your tires will squeal and jerk you into a slower speed or into a skid on
a slippery road. Automatics don’t do that and newer standard shifts
are geared different. Ever drive any thing pre 1990 like anything from
the 1940’s . I do it’s a whole different thing.
It’s speed and gear ratio
….
Been there done it too. Never again.
….
1946 GMC dump truck…246 6cyl engine.
My fave although not a 40’s, B model Mack 1953
Double stick, double clutching, Man you need to get
a run for a hill or those vacuum propelled windshield
wipers just don’t work and nearly impossible
to text and forget a cell phone you can’t even hear
yourself think over the engine.
Sure hope the little girl will be ok
that is the problem under paid so saftey can’t be done
The bus my Grandson rides on in Winterport has a monitor.
Thanks for the info on how to shift standard transmission, but RSU 67 hasn’t had a standard transmission for over 30 years in any of theur busses.
Most buses these days are automatics…
That’s what I’m hearing, isn’t standard shift
easier on gas!
Hoping this child will be ok
I cannot believe that you would make such a comment, AFTER an accident. School officials take complaints against bus drivers very seriously. As a former driver, I can tell you that you will be discipline, possibly fired if you are constantly reported to your supervisors.
Didn’t work in Orrington with the bus driver my kids had. She was horrible as a driver. My Mom lived 3 miles from my house. My little sister rode the same bus as my kids did. I would call Mom and tell her to send my sister out because the driver of the bus took 5 minutes to make the 3 mile trip and made 13 stops in between. She ran over cars at Brewer High, a puppy,with a bus load of kids, at Kozy Korner store and who knows what else. She had poor hygiene as well. They allowed this driver get in enough years to retire. I was thankful every day that my kids got home in one piece because of her. Many complaints were made to the school department and the company that took over Orrington’s bus service from the town, to absolutely no avail. I’m not saying that this driver is to blame, just saying that even if that were the case, would the school do anything about it?
I am sure the girls parents will really like your earlier statement:
“I’ve said for a while now that it would just be a matter of time before she hurt someone.”
You should have said that to the right people, BEFORE the accident.
I did report her as have others.
Your not being truthful. There have been no reports against her. PLease keep your negative anger away from this little girls situation.
Hoping and trusting for the best for this little girl.
The driver is not scary. She cares about the kids and drives very cautiously. I would put my kids on Casie’s bus today. It was an ACCIDENT.
I agree. Casie is a very cautious driver and takes her job very seriously. This was an accident and all the facts have not been disclosed so for anyone who feels the need to write on here and blame the driver really needs to get ALL the facts before passing judgement.
When I was a kid going to the Lincoln school Ella P. Burr during the 70’s. While everyone was loading the bus to go home I remember a young boy, being run over by the school bus on the schools property because he went to retrieve a paper he lost this image has stuck with me. I feel sorry for this girl’s family and our prayers are with her and her family.
I have seen this happen before with school buses. I do not know if all the buses have them but there are buses equiped with an arm rail with a stop sign on it. It opens out away from the bus doors and directs the kids forward. Hope she is doing well and recovers quickly.
I would be curious to know how it is you have determined that she picks up speed prior to approaching???? You state it’s quite frightening but yet you continue to put your child on the bus….hmmmm
Not scientifically of course. I guess I would need a “radar” to know for sure but anyone can hear her picking up speed as she approaches the houses. And, no, my younger children do not ride the bus any longer. I have not put the younger ones on the bus for 3 years now. My high school age son rides the bus because that is where is friends are. Doesn’t make me feel any safer because he is in high school.
Would you like people saying that about you, this was an accident and the only thing that should be written on here is people praying for the little girl and her family and the driver don’t you think she is going thru enough right now, until you know what really happened you should watch what you say. My son spends alot of time with Casie and she is very trusting and responsible….
This is not a place for this, you should be praying for the child and her family and the driver, can you even imagine what she is going thru. This was an accident, did you not read the headline! My son spends alot of time with Casie and she is very trusting and responsible. Would you like people to say these things about you.
Why did the driver put the bus in motion if the child was not in her driveway?
It says she cleared the area. I am thinking she went back or slipped. It is a scary accident and prayers should be said for all involved.
Trooper Anderson is HOT!!!!
Take a shower.
Wow some of you amaze me, first you hide who you really are….Seriously you don’t know all the details this is called an accident for a reason…Your concern should be for the child and her family and the driver can you even imagine what she is going thru. My son spends alot of time with Casie and she is very trusting and responsible with children. Would you like someone talking about you like this without all the facts, that’s what’s wrong with the world..
Relax….we all know that Casie is a responsible adult and we all believe that she feels terrible. No where in here did anyone post otherwise.
Its allways called an accedent untill all facts are found.
This is my neice that got hit by the bus. So far she is doing ok, but may require surgery. We are all praying for her, her family and the bus driver. This has got to be a nightmare for him! Thank you for all the posts and prayers. Keep the prayers coming!
So sorry that your niece was injured. Thoughts are with her. Hope she recovers soon.
Prayers for a full recovery- a nightmare situation for all concerned…
my wife and i are so sorry about ur neice are prayers are with her. she is in our sons grade we couldnt even imadgen . the buss driver casie is my sister and she is living a nightmare right now as is ur neices parents i would imadgen .everyone feals so bad for for her all we can do now is hope and pray for a fast recovery!
What a scary experiance for the little girl, the other kids on the bus and the bus driver. My prayers are with all. May you have a swift recovery.
This happened to my little brother years ago, he got off the bus and slipped on the ice under the bus. He was lucky the wheels didn’t run over him, but it hit his head pretty bad. This incident is scary not knowing how it happened and people shouldn’t BLAME anyone until things are proven. We all know she didn’t do this on purpose…therefore it is an accident…an unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally.
….
Maybe people not working can volunteer?
A responsible high school kid already riding
the bus?
….
I drove a 90+/- student capacity usually at capacity
….
Wow, all of you worried about spelling, and blaming the bus driver are thoughtless people. Instead of blaming someone how about you pray for the little girl and thebus driver, I am pretty sure she didn’t want this to happen.
Flagged and removed. Figures! That’s fine, was just stating the elphant in the room and what many were thinking and not saying. Though Casie is a good person and cares about the children she is responsibe for getting to school, it doesn’t change the fact that something went wrong yesterday. Prayers for Sophie and her family AND the bus driver because I’m sure she feels terrible.
Not sure who you are but there should only be positive energy flowing towards this child. You are hurting everyone with your anger. God Bless.
I’m not angry at anyone. I do pray for the best for anyone and that includes Casie. My statements that were flagged stated what I had observed as a parent to children who have and one that still does ride on her bus. I don’t wish ill on anyone including Casie. I’m positive that it was an ACCIDENT. Hmmmm, last I checked this was a forum to write comments on. My opinion/comment is as valuable as anyone else’s.
All our prayer go out to the little girl .We hope she has a good and fast recovery! I am a brother of casie’s and let me tell you all the pore girl is living a life of hell right now. These girls think of every ones kids like there own ! I dont think anyone thinks of the work load these girls have on there shoulders the short time thay are behind the wheel, people cutting them off, slippery roads, kids getting on and off, about 20 or 30 kids already screeming behind you there is so much ! I for one think thay do a great job!!! And i have no problem having my son ride the bus every day, who is a classmate of this little girl. Bad stuff happens every day and this was a bad stuff. For those of you who no casie she is a nice person and loves kids her and her husband coatch atleast 1 sport in every season and would help anyone if thay needed it . So for this to happen to her just kills her. So for all the pepole who help her threw this thank you ,and for those few people who like to post crap well you are what you post…. But the big thing is the little girl is going to be ok with some tlc , she must be a tough little cookie because i no most of us adults wouldnt have made it .