Witness Recalls Fatal Byron School Bus Crash; Students Mourn

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – When 17-year-old Deianerah Logan's minivan slammed into the back of a school bus following her first day as a high school senior, David Larsen and his brother ran out to help.

The crash happened just outside Larsen's home on Olmsted County Road 5 near Oxbow Park shortly before 4 p.m. Tuesday. Larsen said he was the first to see the wounded teenager.

"She looked like an angel laying there in the seat," he said.

Logan never regained consciousness, and Larsen could tell by the look of the crash that the teen needed more help than he could give.

"The front of the car was badly wrapped under the bus," he said. "The roof was peeled back, the seat was bent over."

It took an hour to get Logan out of the minivan. She died after being airlifted to a Rochester hospital.

On Wednesday, the second day of the school year, Logan's classmates at Byron High School wore purple in her memory. Logan's friends, who called her Deejay, said she'll be remembered for always having a smile on her face.

"She was a really nice girl; she had a fabulous smile," said Ashley Fitzpatrick, Logan's friend. "She was always there for everybody."

In the minivan, however, Logan was alone, police said. And in the bus that she hit, there were two passengers. One was a 7-year-old boy, Larsen's great nephew.

"It took a long time to put him to sleep last night," Larsen said.

He said his nephew is still shaken up by the crash. However, he and the other passenger, a 9-year-old, suffered no injuries.

Logan has three other siblings at Byron-area schools. According to Byron Schools Superintendent Jeff Elstad, grief counselors are at all three of the district's schools.

"This came as hard news," Elstad said. "We're doing all we can right now to support the family and our staff and students."