​​​This information is preliminary and subject to change. Release date: 6 June 2023

​On Friday, May 12, 2023, about 7:20 a.m. central daylight time, a 2016 Bluebird school bus, operated by the Reedsburg, Wisconsin School District, stopped to board passengers in the westbound lane of State Highway 23/33 (SH 23/33) in the vicinity of Northwoods Drive near Excelsior, Sauk County, Wisconsin. At this location, SH 23/33 is a two-lane, two-way roadway with paved shoulders and a 55-mph speed limit (figure 1). The flashing amber and red lights at the front and rear of the school bus were activated and the left-side-mounted stop arm was deployed. Eastbound traffic had stopped for the school bus.

A 2010 Ford F-150 pickup truck, operated by a 17-year-old driver, was traveling westbound on SH 23/33. As the pickup truck approached the rear of the stopped school bus, it swerved to the right, sideswiped the right rear corner of the bus, continued across the 8-foot-wide paved shoulder onto a private driveway, and struck a 13-year-old student pedestrian. The student sustained fatal injuries and the pickup truck driver sustained minor injuries. The school bus driver and the 16 student passengers on the school bus were not injured. 

​Parties to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation include:

• ​Sauk County Sheriff’s Office
• Reedsburg School District
• Sauk County Highway Department
• Wisconsin Department of Transportation