STARK COUNTY, Ohio — The Ohio State Highway Patrol has released surveillance camera footage from inside of the Stark County school bus that rolled over last month, injuring 16 people. (WARNING: Some of the images are disturbing)
The rollover crash happened on Columbus Road near Beeson Street in Marlboro Township at around 2:30 p.m. on September 11. Troopers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol say as the bus was negotiating a curve onto Columbus Road, it traveled off of the right side of the roadway. The bus struck multiple traffic signs and then overturned into a ditch.
According to the OSHP, there were 20 total occupants on the school bus at the time of the crash.
Video from inside the bus shows what happened when driver Debra Weisel allegedly lost control. Everything seems to be normal, when suddenly she grips the wheel in an attempt to regain control.
You can hear students crying out before a loud crash violently sends Weisel and the other students flying to the other side of the bus as it rolls on its side.
Weisel asks if everyone on the bus is all right, then asks for assistance to get unhooked. A top view of the bus shows the impact as the vehicle sways from side to side before coming to a brutal stop. The final view comes from the back of the bus, when some older students can be seen bracing themselves before being thrown to the opposite side.
Panic then sets in as students attempt to get off the bus. They finally were able to make their way out through the back hatch.
The OSHP reported that of the 20 individuals on the bus, 13 suffered minor injuries, one suffered serious injuries and two others suffered possible injuries from the crash. All were released from the hospital within days of the rollover incident.
Four days after the crash, Weisel resigned from the Marlington Local School District.
A public records search of Weisel's criminal history by 3News Investigates showed multiple minor misdemeanors involving traffic violations dating back to 1991. Before Monday's citation, Weisel had at least eight traffic offenses on her record. The most recent citations before Monday's crash were in 2018 for failure to control a motor vehicle, as well as a citation for not allowing enough distance between vehicles to avoid a collision.
3News' Anna Meyer, Danielle Wiggins, and Lynna Lai contributed to this report
Previous Reporting:
- School bus driver in Stark County rollover crash resigns
- Ohio State Highway Patrol report shows 16 people were injured in Stark County school bus crash
- BODYCAM VIDEO: Aftermath of Stark County school bus crash that injured 6
- 3News Investigates: School bus driver in Stark County rollover crash placed on leave; has multiple traffic violations on driving record