‘Everybody was just in shock’: La Conner girls soccer team shares school bus crash experience

BOTHELL, Wash. — A road trip for the La Conner High School girls soccer team took a frightening turn when their school bus collided with a pickup truck in Bothell Wednesday afternoon on I-405 South, just north of SR 527.

The team was heading to their game in the first round of the state tournament.

“The truck just cut right in front – I heard screeching and then just a ‘bang’ and I just fell off my seat,” said Finley Hancock, a freshman.

According to WSP, the pickup driver had some kind of medical episode and then hit a barrier just before colliding with the school bus, which had nearly two dozen people on board.

“Everyone hit the seats. Everybody was just in shock for a couple minutes,” said another player.

There was extensive damage to the school bus, but no one on the bus was seriously hurt.

KIRO 7 was told the bus driver and a coach had some soreness, while the pickup driver had a minor injury.

Traffic was backed up as the scene cleared and a North Shore School District bus took the team back to La Conner, where parents were anxiously waiting.

“I’m just happy they’re ok and it was kind of worse than we initially were told, so we’re happy that they’re all safe and good,” said Louisa Nickerson, a parent of two players.

The team’s bus was towed back to the school, where State Patrol inspected the damage.

Meanwhile, the girls say they’re ready for their rescheduled game at Cle-Elum on Thursday night.

“I guess ice our bodies, eat some good food, and I think we’ll be ok,” said Hancock.

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