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Medical issue may have caused Jenison school-bus crash, say police

Posted at 8:50 PM, Feb 01, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-01 20:51:24-05

GEORGETOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. —  A Jenison Public Schools bus collided with a full-sized pickup truck Thursday afternoon in Georgetown Township, and one person had to be taken to a hospital. But not because of any injuries sustained in the crash, according to the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office.

The bus driver, Randal Spohn, 61, of Jenison, apparently suffered a medical issue and lost consciousness prior to the accident, around 4:09 p.m. That evidently led to the bus to crossing the center line into oncoming traffic on Bauer Road at Meadowbrook Drive, according to police. The school bus struck a 2012 Ford Super-Duty truck driven by Zachary Ruf, 43, of Jenison. Both vehicles wound up in an adjacent field.

Police say Ruf was not injured. Neither was Spohn, nor the lone passenger on-board, an eight-year-old student.

Spohn was transported to Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital because of the unspecified medical issue. Police say he was “believed to be in stable condition.”

The 8-year-old student was turned over to family.