Bus accident doesn't keep students from field trip

Some students at Viking Middle School in Gurnee showed up to class in style this morning after a mishap on the roadway.

Their school bus hit a truck on Route 41 near Delaney Road at 8:18 a.m., and after waiting nearly an hour for police and school officials to complete their paperwork, the kids faced even more time roadside before paramedics saved the day.

The crew drove the three special education students to school so they wouldn't miss a field trip they were very excited about, Gurnee Fire Department Battalion Chief Barry Henby said.

No one was injured in the accident, but the bus could not continue on its route, he said.

"The (kids) were just involved in an accident. They were cold. We thought maybe it would help them out with the trauma if we took them to school," he said.

Unfortunately, the crew didn't have any spare helmets on board.

"They were looking around (the ambulance)," paramedic Matt Sondej said. "They were pretty excited."

And thanks to an unscheduled ride, the students' subsequent field trip to Taco Bell and Toys 'R Us wasn't delayed, he said.