School bus collides with a semi in Vernon County, no injuries reported

A school bus collision with a semi occurred Thursday afternoon (April 23). Vernon County Sheriff Roy Torgerson reports that the Sheriff’s Office 911 Dispatch Center was notified of a two-vehicle collision on US Highway 14 at Brye Lane in rural Coon Valley, within the bounds of the Westby Area School District.

David Carl Aberg, 69, of rural Viroqua, was operating a 29-passenger school bus traveling south on Brye Lane and approached the intersection of US Highway 14. Aberg stopped at the intersection to wait for cross traffic to clear before making a left turn onto the highway to proceed eastbound. After making the turn, the right front corner of the bus struck the left side of an eastbound semi-tractor/trailer operated by Ramanpreet Singh, age 50.

The operator of the semi-tractor/trailer attempted to avoid the collision by steering to the right onto the unpaved shoulder. Both vehicles remained under control and stopped on the eastbound shoulder. All people involved, including ten students, were observed by emergency personnel and no injuries were reported. The Sheriff’s Office worked closely with the school district and emergency personnel to notify the students’ parents.

Traffic was reduced to one lane until the scene was cleared. The incident remains under investigation by the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office and the Westby Area School District.