East Memorial

East Memorial was named to honor students killed in a bus accident.
At 8:30 a.m. during a hazy cold morning on Dec. 14, 1961, a school bus carrying 36 students was hit by a train.

The train was traveling at 79 miles per hour.
The bus was crossing the tracks at a diagonal. Visibility was poor because of the extreme cold so the driver did not see the approaching train. He only had a small clearing to use on his window to see out.

The crossing only had a sign.
There weren't any lights or signals at the crossing to let the driver know that a train was coming.

The bus was split in half.
Part of the bus was dragged 455 feet down the track. Twenty students were killed and another 16 were injured.

The driver was charged with manslaughter.
After a three day trial, the bus driver was found innocent of any charges.

One of the results of the accident was a change in the law.
Now bus drivers are required to open the doors and look and listen before crossing any railroad tracks. The passengers are required to be silent during that time.

East Memorial School was named to remember the students who died that morning.
East Memorial Elementary was built close to the accident scene and was named as a memorial to those students involved in the tragic accident.