A planned field trip for the students ended tragically on Thursday, but a much more tragic result was averted. Thursday afternoon, three tour buses full of students and chaperones were on their way to an activity at Tusculum College in Greeneville, Tenn., when a pickup truck drove in front of the lead bus at the intersection of U.S. Hwy. 25E and Highway 131 in Grainger County, Tenn.
The resulting crash killed both the driver and the passenger in the truck. Dead at the scene were Gary Leaster, 51, of Newport, and his father-in-law Dale Hinzman, Sr., 70, of Leavittsburg, Ohio.
“We are glad the students received only minor injuries,” said Kate Reagan, Director of Public Relations and Marketing for LMU, “and our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those killed in the accident.”
“We're just so thankful that the students are safe and there were no life-threatening injuries to them,” said David Wilhoit, Director of the Upward Bound program at LMU.
Wilhoit was in the front seat of that lead bus.
“I saw that the truck wasn't slowing down for the stop sign,” he said.
After the crash, his first concern was for the safety of the students. Wilhoit and the other adults began evacuating the bus and getting the students to safety.
“Everyone just pitched in and helped each other,” he said, adding that the driver did “an excellent job” of keeping the bus upright.
All 47 people on board the lead bus were taken to either Morristown-Hamblen Hospital or Claiborne County Hospital. Five students and the driver were taken by ambulance to Claiborne County, and the rest were transported by buses. All were treated and released by Thursday night, Wilhoit said.
There will be lasting results, though, and staff at LMU is working to make sure the students are able to deal with what happened.
“We decided to have these group counseling sessions this afternoon, instead of classes, to help the students deal with their feelings and emotions,” he said. “We want to help them deal with this as much as we can.”
Counselors will be available throughout the duration of the summer program. Appoximately 55 students went home Thursday evening, many taken straight home from the hospital by parents. All of the students were planning to return to LMU, as usual, on Sunday. Monday should bring a normal schedule for the students.
“These are determined kids,” said Wilhoit, adding that the group is scheduled to go on a trip to the Miracle Theater in Sevierville next week and to New York City in July. “We want to get everything back to normal for them.”
Upward Bound is a federally-funded program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. At LMU, approximately 150 students participate in the program, which is active throughout the school year. During the summer portion the students stay on campus. LMU's Upward Bound program serves students in the tri-state area. Participating students are from Bell County in Ky., Lee County in Va., and Claiborne, Scott, Morgan, Campbell, Union and Hancock Counties in Tenn.
Marisa Anders is Managing Editor for the Daily News. She can be reached via e-mail at manders@middlesborodailynews.com.
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