Lame Deer, MT — April 15, 2025, three people were killed and two others were injured in a school bus accident at about 7 a.m. on U.S. Route 221.
Authorities said a school bus was stopped near mile marker 38 to pick up some children when a Honda Civic crashed into it.
Three passengers in the car, including an infant, died in the crash, according to authorities. The 19-year-old Arkansas man who was driving the car and an 18-year-old woman were hospitalized with unspecified injuries.
No one on the bus was injured in the crash just west of Lame Deer, authorities said.
Authorities have not released any additional information about the crash at this time. The accident is still being investigated.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
In crashes involving school buses, especially during morning pickup hours, the law places a heightened duty on all drivers to proceed with caution, even before any warning signals are engaged. When a collision occurs under these circumstances, the legal questions aren’t limited to whether stop arms or flashing lights were active, but whether both vehicles were being operated with the level of awareness the situation required.
At 7 a.m., road visibility can vary due to light or weather, but professional drivers — and every motorist — are expected to adjust accordingly. Whether the bus was fully stopped, slowing down or preparing to stop, a reasonable driver should anticipate the possibility of frequent stops on a school route, particularly in rural or residential areas.
Rear-end collisions like this often suggest a failure to recognize developing traffic conditions in time, which is especially critical around a school bus.
It’s also worth examining the environment around the crash: Was the road straight or curved? Were there visual obstructions? Was the bus in a location where stopping would be expected, or where a driver might have been caught off guard? These are the kinds of situational details that, while not excusing a collision, help clarify whether this crash stemmed from a split-second misjudgment or something more serious, like distraction or fatigue.
This investigation must get to the bottom of not just what the bus was doing at the time of the crash, but how the approaching vehicle was being operated. Because on roads where school buses are part of the traffic mix, especially at that hour, every driver should be alert to the possibility that the next stop could be just around the corner. And when that awareness is missing, lives can be lost in an instant.
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