School Bus Tumbles Down Embankment

A school bus full of children rolled onto its side and went down an embankment in northwest Arkansas on Monday, killing a 14-year-old girl.

Twenty-one others on board were injured; seven remained hospitalized Monday night, and two are in critical condition. State police spokesman Bill Sadler said several people were treated and released, including the 73-year-old driver.

The bus had 43 students from the Siloam Springs School District's elementary, middle and high schools. Sadler said the bus began its route with 48 students aboard, but had dropped off five students.

Trooper Lori Lawson said the bus driver told investigators that a student in the front seat caused him to look away from the road.

"There was a child that had a paper of some sort who was swatting other children with it," Lawson said.

Jessica Price was killed when the southbound bus rolled onto its side and went down an embankment just east of a bridge over the Illinois River, about 3.5 miles south of Siloam Springs. The bus ended up on its side at the bottom of an embankment.

No other vehicle was believed to be involved, Sadler said.

Also Monday, a chartered bus carrying 45 students and seven adults tipped over in Frederick, Md., after the driver pulled over to avoid a potential pileup. The driver, one student and a teacher were taken to a hospital with minor injuries.

The bus, owned by Heartbeat Tours, of Charles Town, W. Va., was traveling from Martinsburg, W.Va., to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.