Bus crash kills one, injures dozens

A bus carrying about two dozen state prison employees struck a deer and overturned early Friday on a highway near Warm Springs, killing one person and injuring several others, authorities said.

The bus, which was carrying 26 employees to work at the Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge, rolled over about 5:30 a.m. on Interstate 90, about 15 miles from the prison.

The bus, which was owned by Butte-based Tucker Transportation, came to rest in the median between the two lanes of the interstate.

The victim was identified as Sonja Ryan, 56, of Butte. Ryan had worked for the state since 1981, said Bob Anez, spokesman for the Montana Department of Corrections.

She started as a psychiatric aide at the Montana State Hospital and later worked in the laundry. She transferred to the Montana Women's Prison in 1990 as a correctional officer and joined the Montana State Prison staff in 1994, where she worked as administrative support in the records department.

Several ambulances and two helicopters transported the injured passengers to hospitals across western Montana. The victims suffered head injuries, broken bones and cuts, said Anaconda Police Detective Bill Sather, who was at the scene of the crash.

The last of the injured were on their way to hospitals within an hour of the crash, Sather said.

Eight people were taken to Powell County Medical Hospital in Deer Lodge, said Michael Walsh, the hospital's chief executive officer.

Two who were in serious condition were taken by helicopter to a hospital in Missoula. Doctors were evaluating whether to send a third by air, and five remaining patients were listed in stable condition, Walsh said.

Six people were taken to Community Hospital in Anaconda, while seven were transported to St. James Hospital in Butte, said Karen Sullivan, a spokeswoman for Community Medical Center in Missoula, which operates the CareFlight helicopter.

JoAnn Hoven, a spokeswoman for St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, confirmed they had received two patients and were expecting a third.

Two of the patients sent to St. James in Butte were discharged, three others were in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries and two patients, who were transferred from the Anaconda hospital, had more serious injuries, said Judiann Williams, director of emergency services at St. James.

"There seem to be a lot of orthopedic-type injuries" consisting of broken or crushed bones, Williams said.

The bus driver was hospitalized at St. James Hospital with a broken leg, said Tom McGree, co-owner of Tucker Transportation.

McGree said he met with families of the victims at St. James Hospital and told them, "We at Tucker transportation feel really bad. If there is anything we can do to help, day or night, we're available."

Tucker Transportation has been contracted by the state for about 19 months to transport Butte and Anaconda prison employees to and from the state prison, according to state officials.

For more on this story, see Saturday's Daily Inter Lake.