Name of driver involved in early morning Nell Holcomb bus crash released

The name of the driver involved in an early morning crash with a Nell Holcomb bus that sent 12 students to the hospital has been released.

Emergency workers talk to a student, left, who is about to be taken to the hospital following an accident between a school bus and a Ford Focus along Highway 177 south of Nell Holcomb school Wednesday morning, April 8, 2009. (Kit Doyle)

According to Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Dale Moreland, Randall Hunerkock, 40, of Metropolis, Ill., is in serious condition at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Moreland said no citations are issued at this time, though the Highway Patrol's crash team is investigating the situation.

All of the students sent to Saint Francis Medical Center this morning after a head-on crash with Hunerkock's 2009 Ford Focus were treated for minor injuries and released by noon, hospital spokeswoman Emily Sikes said.

Nell Holcomb superintendent Darryl Pannier said the driver's name is being withheld until a later date. Pannier said the driver was sent to the hospital for evaluation but was later released.

Nell Holcomb school nurse Barb Kinder said she examined the 23 students who were in the accident, but did not go to the hospital for treatment.

She said she checked for bleeding and did a neurological assessment.

"There were few that were visibly shaken and tearful," she said. She said she will check their condition three times during the day.

"I'm imagining tomorrow I'll see more students with aches," she said.

The school is contacting the parents of the involved students.

She has been receiving calls from concerned parents. Some came into school just to hug their children, Kinder said.

"They just want to see them," she said.

The crash occurred at 7:48 a.m. south of Nell Holcomb school on Highway 177. The driver of the Focus was extricated with unknown injuries, according to East County Fire Protection District Assistant Chief Kelly Allen.

The driver's name is not being released until he receives treatment at an area hospital. The Focus that had an Illinois license plate was totaled.

The highway was closed for about an hour after the accident but was reopened around 9:15 a.m. At 10 a.m. highway patrol and other law enforcement were taking surveys to remeasure distances to determine how the accident occurred. The school bus had not been cleared from the scene.

East County Fire Protection District, Cape County Private Ambulance Service and the Missouri State Highway Patrol responded to the accident, in addition to the Cape Girardeau Fire Department.

Deborah Cain, 29, of Cape Girardeau was traveling behind the bus when the accident occurred. Cain said the driver was traveling on the roadway when he hit the bus and crossed the center line.

"As soon as I yelled to the kids to see if they were okay I jumped in the back of the window of the car to see if the driver was okay," Cain said. "He was still breathing when I got to him."

Pannier was also driving in his car near the bus when the accident occurred. While he said the moments after the bus were a blur, Pannier said he feared the worst.

"You always hear of catastrophes and don't think it will happen where you are," Pannier said. "The best preparation doesn't prepare you for a disaster.

"I'd like to thank the Cape Girardeau Ambulance, Cape County Fire Department, East County Fire District and the highway patrol," he said. "They were true professionals and made a sad time bearable. Our kids were troopers and handled this well."

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__Matt Sanders and Alaina Busch contributed to this report.__