C-Falls bus driver dies in rollover; no students on bus
A school bus driver died in a rollover crash Tuesday morning near Whitefish, according to Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry.
There were no students on the bus, Curry said. The female driver was the only person on the bus. She was later identified as Margaret Allers Juenke, 66, of Columbia Falls. Juenke was not wearing a seat belt, and was ejected from the vehicle.
The crash was reported at 7:06 a.m. to the Montana Highway Patrol. According to Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Josh Nanna the bus was traveling northbound on Dillon Road approaching a 90 degree turn into Voerman Road.
Nanna said the small, handicap accessible bus left the right-hand side of the roadway and overcorrected, causing the bus to roll. The crash is under investigation. Speed and intoxicating substances have been ruled out as possible causes of the crash.
Whitefish School District sent a voicemail to parents alerting them about the crash, Superintendent Heather Davis Schmidt said.
Seven students ride the school bus, which is contracted through Rocky Mountain Transportation. Davis Schmidt said the bus company and school district worked together to get students to school and arrange long-term transportation accommodations.
“It's so very sad,” Davis Schmidt said. “It is certainly felt throughout the community. Our thoughts and our prayers are with the driver's family.”