University of Washington band members injured after bus rolls over on way to Apple Cup
A charter bus carrying members of the University of Washington marching band and spirit squads rolled onto its side while traveling an icy stretch of Interstate 90 on Thursday evening. The bus was carrying the students to Pullman, Wash., for the Huskies football team’s Apple Cup game against rival Washington State.
About 45 students were taken to area hospitals with injuries, none considered life-threatening. UW spokesman Victor Balta told Sara Jean Green of the Seattle Times that the injuries included cuts, back pain and complaints of general pain.
“The university is doing everything it can to ensure the health and safety of our students and staff, and to get them safely back on their journey to Pullman,” Balta said in an email to Green.
Trooper John Bryant of the Washington State Patrol said the crash, which he attributed to ice and fog, took place around 5:30 p.m. local time about three miles west of George, about the midway point of the approximately five-hour drive from Seattle to Pullman. The charter bus was one of six carrying the band and spirit members, and the Times reports that 56 people were on the bus that rolled over. The uninjured transferred to other buses.
Band member Patrick Stanton tweeted out a photo of the band at a local elementary school and said local residents came through with Thanksgiving leftovers.
By early Friday morning, the bus was upright.
The Washington-Washington State game is scheduled to kick off Friday at 5:30 p.m. PST.
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