A teenage boy died after a packed school bus headed to a Christmas musical crashed in Indiana on Wednesday morning, according to state police.
There were 38 children and three chaperones on the bus when it collided with a straight truck around 9 a.m., the Indiana State Police said.
The bus did not have seat belts, which are not required by law, state police spokesman Ted Bohner told ABC News.
The accident was on U.S. 31 near Argos, which is located about 30 miles south of South Bend.
A teenage boy in the back of the bus was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Another student, a 14-year-old, was airlifted to a hospital with injuries believed to be non-life-threatening, police said.
The crash unfolded after the bus driver lawfully stopped at a railroad crossing, police said. As she started to accelerate, the bus was hit from behind by a Freightliner straight truck, which was towing a trailer, police said.
The other students were taken to Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center in Plymouth to be evaluated and reunited with their families, police said.
The group was headed to a Christmas musical in Warsaw, Indiana, according to police.
Weather isn’t believed to be a factor, police added.
