Posted at: 11/19/2009 10:44 PM
Updated at: 11/20/2009 7:57 AM
By: Jill Kasparie

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Students Back in School After Accident

(ABC 6 NEWS) - Students are back in class today in Wabasha-Kellogg after their bus collides with a car in northern Rochester Wednesday night.
 
It all happened at the intersection of Highway 63 and 75th Street. Twenty-two junior and senior high school students were on board.
 
Eight students and the two people in the other car were taken to the hospital for injuries.
 
"It was really traumatic," said Eighth Grader Shania Merchlewitz.
 
Merchlewitz and 21 other students struggled to get through the school day on Thursday.
 
"A lot of hugs, a lot of tears, ya know, glad to be alive type of stuff," Merchlewitz said.
 
The district offered counseling to any of the students who wanted to talk about what they saw.
 
"We checked to see if they needed to talk to the counselor or social worker, we have a couple mental health workers that we have available four days a week, and we sent a letter home stating that as well," said Superintendent Jim Freihammer.
 
But the accident didn't just take its toll emotionally, but physically as well.
 
Students were all treated and released from the hospital after Wednesday night's accident but Thursday four students complained about additional injuries.
 
"A couple of them were students that were hospitalized or evaluated at the hospital and a couple of them were students that weren't hospitalized yesterday," Freihammer said.
 
With the accident behind them, the district has also learned a lesson, trying to be more prepared if something like this ever happens again.
 
"I think what we need to do is adjust some of the procedures. I think it would be helpful, for example, and it's something I started putting together this morning, somewhere that there's a place that I can quickly grab a list of every student that are on the bus," said K-12 Principal Jon Stern.
 
And for students on the bus, it was another lesson.
 
"Live everyday to the fullest and make sure you tell people you love, everyday that you love them," Merchlewitz said.
 
The driver of the car was 75-year-old Robert Temple of Wabasha. As of Thursday night he was in serious condition at St. Mary's Hospital.
 
The passenger, 77-year-old Leona Hentz of Hammond, was listed as fair.