Following a violent collision with an SUV at the intersection of Route 5 and Townline Road, a school bus carrying 20 children to Cherry School overturned, resulting in a terrifying disaster that sent shockwaves through the small town of Hibbing, Minnesota. On Thursday, September 12, 2024, around 7:50 am, an accident occurred that resulted in a mass casualty response and the hospitalization of 11 people, including the bus driver and 10 children. After being extricated from the heavily damaged SUV, the driver, identified as 19-year-old Svea Lynn Snickers, was taken to Essentia Hospital in Duluth with life-threatening injuries. Sean Allen Lindola, the 52-year-old driver of the school bus, was also hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
The incident happened in the middle of the morning rush hour while children were traveling to Cherry School, a small, rural school that serves a close-knit community. The school bus was struck by a 2006 Toyota RAV4 driven by Snickers while traveling north on Route 5, Hibbing Fire Chief Eric Gianquilla said. The bus overturned on its side due to the force of the accident, resulting in a disorganized and horrifying scene as the children inside rushed to get out of the overturned car.
When first responders, including fire and emergency crews from Hibbing, Chisholm, Buhl and Virginia, arrived to assess the situation and render aid, the scene of the accident was one of confusion and haste. Many children were seen crawling out of the bus through damaged windows and emergency doors, according to witnesses who were present at the incident. Some of the pupils looked shocked and confused. Despite the seriousness of the incident, everyone who was a student was held accountable and received medical treatment when necessary thanks to the quick action of emergency services and the assistance of passers-by.
A mass casualty system was activated because of the magnitude of the incident, according to Hibbing Fire Chief Eric Jankila, who oversaw the emergency response. This is done to make sure there are enough resources available to treat any possible injuries. Yankila said, “The mass casualty response allowed us to have more ambulances available than we ended up needing.” Fortunately, a second air medical unit at Range Regional Airport was kept on standby in case it was needed.
