McHenry County Sheriff’s deputies, and firefighters and paramedics from Nunda Rural Fire Protection responded just after 4:30 p.m. Monday, December 1, 2025 to a report of a crash involving a school bus and a utility pole at Colby Point Road and S Justen Road in unincorporated McHenry in McHenry County.
Upon arrival sheriff’s deputies, firefighters, and paramedics discovered a school bus tilted slightly in a ditch after striking a utility pole near the right front wheel. The downed power lines and the damaged utility pole were near the front passenger side school bus door. According to the Nunda Rural Fire Protection District, there were down wires which created a hazardous crash scene.
Initially, no injuries were reported. Since energized power lines were damage nearby, firefighters kept the driver and two children inside the bus. The children were between the ages of four and six. ComEd secured the power lines, and the three occupants were rescued, assessed and, removed from the full-size school bus just before 5:30 p.m. Once removed, the three occupants were thoroughly evaluated by paramedics. One child was evaluated with minor injuries, and was transported to a local hospital for treatment of the minor injuries. The second child was released to parents at the scene. The driver did not initially report any injuries.
Fire crews stayed on scene for nearly two hours monitoring the removal of the bus and the electrical repair work.
The school bus was assigned to McHenry School Districts 15 & 156.
Thank you to the Cary Fire Protection District, the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, and our dispatchers for their assistance.
— Nunda Fire Rural Fire Protection District
The crash is under investigation. The crash was located on the northbound shoulder on S Justen Road near the Sleepy Hollow Creek Bridge, just north of a curve on S Justen Road. Poor weather conditions and poor road conditions existed. The school bus driver was northbound on S Justen Road about 1500 feet south of Colby Point Road, and was just coming out of a left-turn curve on S Justen Road when the bus slid off to the right and struck the utility pole. The Speed Limit is 35 MPH according to Google Maps Street View images captured October 2022.
DEVELOPING IF CONTENT IS AVAILABLE …
A man and woman died days after a single-vehicle motorcycle crash near the same curve on August 25, 2021 …
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