Perry County bus driver killed in wreck

A Perry County School District bus driver died in a wreck Tuesday morning. There were no children on the bus at the time.

James Kennedy, 72, was driving Bus 3 for the district a little after 6 a.m. southbound on Route K in Perry County when he overcorrected on a curve and struck the front left of a box truck driven by Chad Taylor, 45, which was traveling in the opposite direction, according to a report from the state Highway Patrol. The bus continued across the roadway, striking a culvert on the left side. Kennedy was pronounced dead at the scene by Perry County Coroner Bill Bohnert. The bus was totaled, while Taylor’s vehicle suffered moderate damage.

Kennedy was not wearing a seat belt during the wreck, according to the report.

Kennedy began working for the district as a bus driver in October, superintendent Fara Jones said in a post to the school’s Facebook page. He was previously a truck driver for 40 years and a bus driver for the Sikeston (Missouri) School District.

“Please keep James, his family and friends, and his fellow bus drivers in your thoughts and prayers,” Jones said in the social media post.

The school will share funeral arrangements when available. Counselors will be made available for students.