The driver of this Wawasee school bus is being flown to a Fort Wayne hospital following a crash involving multiple school buses near North Webster. (Photos by Deb Patterson)

UPDATE: Officials at Kosciusko Community Hospital report treating 43 individuals for non-critical injuries while officials at IU Health Goshen report receiving four individuals, all who have been treated and released.

The number of actual injured could increase as the evening progresses and the shock from the accident wears off and pains set in, said a hospital official. All students involved in the crash, involving four Wawasee Community School Corporation buses, were middle school and high school age.

StaceyPageOnLine.com has learned the four bus drivers involved were Cyndi Routh, driving #30, the first bus; Dave Granger, driving #48 behind Routh; Julie Close driving #44 behind Granger and John Wagoner, #28, was the back bus.

Close was reportedly taken to an area hospital with apparent minor injuries.

Wagner was flown to a Fort Wayne hospital from a landing zone at Wawasee Middle School. He reportedly had abdominal injuries and, as of 7:55 p.m. was listed in stable condition but in surgery at Parkview Hospital.

North Webster Fire Chief Jeremy Likens commended all personnel who responded – EMTs, firefighters and police officers – on a fantastic job. Never in the chief’s 21 years on the department had he experienced a bus accident of this magnitude. “Once the command post and triage was set up, everybody did a fantastic job,” Likens stated. He called this a 100-year crash, a mass incident the department had never before experienced. He could not express enough the great job all involved did.

North Webster paramedics responded with two ambulances, Turkey Creek Fire Territory had all three of its ambulances, with Multi-Township EMS responding with four ambulances. Ambulances were transporting two to four patients at a time, depending on the severity of injuries.

A school bus was brought in to take the uninjured to Wawasee Middle School where doctors from Syracuse Family Practice were on hand to administer exams. Another bus was utilized to transport students complaining of various pain to KCH.

North Webster police and firefighters and Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department deputies were called at about 3:30 p.m. to the chain reaction accident on SR 13, north of North Webster and south of CR 800 North.

StaceyPageOnline.com this evening has learned that three of the four buses were totaled.

It was reported at the scene that Bus #30 had stopped or was in the process of stopping to let off a student when the chain reaction accident occurred. The driver of that bus, Routh, spoke with StaceyPageOnline.com this evening.

Routh said the buses, as always, left Wawasee Middle School southbound on SR 13 to begin taking middle school and high school students home. “I always hate stopping there (on SR 13) because of the time of day and the traffic,” she explained, “so I always put my lights on and stop sign out early to make sure everyone sees I’m stopping. I saw 48 stopping, I saw 44 stop so I stopped and left Marcus off. (Bus) 48 didn’t stop.”

The student Routh was dropping off was Marcus Gagye. “I almost hit him,” Routh said, becoming very emotional. “I think it’s just starting to hit me.”

Routh said Gagye was crossing the highway when suddenly her bus rolled forward. “I always wait until he is completely across the road,” she added. “His mother saw it.”

Police have not yet released information on why Wagoner slammed into the back of bus 44.

Dr. Tom Edington, superintendent of Wawasee Community Schools reported at 8:30 p.m. there were still approximately 30 student at KCH getting checked. He had just arrived at the hospital to check on the students.

“I am so proud to be a part of where we live,” he stated referring to the mass of assistance provided at the scene, at the hospitals and at Wawasee Middle School and the professionals in the work that they did.

He commented once a central meeting place was established at WMS for parents to pick up students, doctors and nurses were called and came immediately. “I was thrilled with the cooperation,” he stated Students being checked in and parents called. Randy Johnson kept track of the students who were transported and to which hospitals.

Edington also mentioned the selflessness of Close who took care of her students needs before herself.

“We all worked together,” he stated amazed at watching the professionals at the scene. Unity was expressed as everyone pulled together.

All four of the buses have been taken to the corporation’s bus garage where Indiana State Police will inspect the buses.

Belongings of students left on the buses are at WMS and can be reclaimed.

“Tomorrow, we will be taking care of the physical and emotional well being of the students, through our staff and counselors,” he said. For those students involved not in school tomorrow “We’ll be calling and checking on them.”

StaceyPageOnLine expects more information from the sheriff’s department in the morning.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Stacey Page contributed to this article. The video is courtesy of WANE-TV.)