DIA bus crash: Legacy High School bus driver dead, at least three others in critical condition

3 min. read
A school bus crashed at Denver International Airport. (Denver Police Department)

Update: Two people remained in critical condition on Monday morning at 8 a.m.

For reasons Denver police don't understand, a bus driver picking up high school football players returning from a trip circled back around to Denver International Airport's east passenger pickup and crashed into a wall.

The crash killed the driver and critically injured at least three other people.

A photo from the scene appears to show that the bus was marked with the name Adams 12 Five Star Schools, a school district in Adams County.

Denver police Sgt. Mike Farr said the crash happened around 4 p.m. The bus driver, a woman, picked up a group of students and coaches from the east passenger pickup and then circled back around.

"She should not have been coming back, but she did," Farr said.

The driver then went off the road to the right and struck a wall near the approach to passenger pickup, Farr said.

The driver was killed in the crash. Everyone on the bus was taken to the hospital, and at least three people are in critical condition, Farr said.

Police did not identify the school whose team was involved in the crash, but the school district on Facebook said it was aware of a crash involving Legacy High School students. Condolences are pouring into the school community on social media.

Fox31 spoke with a student who was texting with people on the bus. They report that the bus that crashed was carrying players and coaches from the junior varsity team, which was returning from playing against Chino Hills High School in California.

Joe Ferdani, a spokesman for Adams 12, told the Daily Camera that 15 students suffered what he understood to be non-life-threatening injuries, and some of them were treated and released. Four coaches were on the bus, and three of them suffered more serious injuries.

"The team is really pulling for them," Ferdani said.

Ferdani confirmed that the bus driver was an Adams 12 employee, but he did not release her name.

If you're headed to the airport, the East Terminal passenger pickup is closed for the duration of the crash investigation. Everyone should use the West Terminal for pickup.

Two other buses picking up students from the same trip exited as they should have and did not return to passenger pickup.

Farr said that's all the information police have at this time.

A school bus crashed near Denver International Airport on Sept. 11. (Denver Police Department)

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