Chapter 488

“Mom, you have to turn on your TV!” called Lisa as she rushed into her mother’s house in Asgard and switched on Paula’s television. “There’s been a bad bus accident in Virginia. You need to see this!”

As images on the screen began taking shape, Paula saw a woman step up to a podium to address a small gathering of reporters. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she gazed at the camera.

“I’m Janice Bolding, the chairwoman of the Ulster County, Virginia Board of Supervisors.. This afternoon at 3:15, a school bus from Lincoln Middle School with 42 students on board was involved in a collision with a loaded log truck.

“The accident occurred on a sharp turn on route 52, known locally as The Oxbow. This scenario is the absolute worst nightmare for schools, parents, and first responders. Today, this horror became a reality for Lincoln Middle School.

“The bus was overturned by the force of the collision, and several of the students were ejected upon impact. A large log