Sheriff: Driver Falls Asleep At The Wheel, Hits School Bus With 41 Kids Aboard

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A school bus with 41 children aboard was hit by a pickup truck Friday afternoon in Yellow Medicine County. Miraculously, no one was hurt.

The sheriff's office says the crash happened just before 4 p.m. on County Road 8 near 240th Avenue in Friendship Township.

The driver of the truck, 41-year-old Tracy Kocher of Echo, told investigators he fell asleep at the wheel – causing him to drift into the northbound lane. School bus driver Claire Erickson, 64, swerved to avoid colliding with Kocher head-on, and partially went into a ditch. The truck still hit the driver's side of the bus.

The sheriff's office say both vehicles sustained major damage, but none of the 41 students and two adults involved suffered any injuries.

Investigators believes Kocher was sober at the time of the crash. The investigation is ongoing.