Fatal Collision Involving School Bus on Interstate 40 Near Sanders

On Sunday, August 28, 2022, at approximately 9:28 a.m., a three-vehicle fatal collision occurred on eastbound Interstate 40 at milepost 328, near Sanders. Eastbound traffic was slowing and/or stopped in the area for a previous collision blocking the roadway. The driver of a commercial tractor-trailer failed to stop for the slowing traffic and collided with the back of a school bus. The force of the collision pushed the school bus into the back of a passenger van.

There were 22 people on board the school bus, mostly juvenile passengers. A 17-year-old female passenger on the school bus was pronounced deceased at the scene. Three additional occupants on the school bus sustained critical injuries and were flown to a Flagstaff hospital. Two more occupants suffered minor injuries and were driven to a Winslow hospital, where they were treated and released.

The school bus is owned and operated by Holbrook Indian School.

This investigation is ongoing.