Lakeside's bus crashes; 12 injured, game called

A map showing the site of the Lakeside High School bus crash.
A map showing the site of the Lakeside High School bus crash.

Two Hot Springs Lakeside High School football coaches and 10 football players were injured in a wreck involving the team's bus Friday afternoon along U.S. 70 near the Newhope community in Pike County.

The team was traveling from Hot Springs to De Queen for a 5A-South Conference game Friday night. The accident occurred at approximately 3:45 p.m.

The game was postponed approximately an hour after the accident. It has not been rescheduled, Lakeside Athletic Director Don Pierce and Cook confirmed to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Lakeside is scheduled to host Watson Chapel on Friday, and De Queen will travel to Magnolia.

The bus was traveling west and veered across the east lane, according to an Arkansas State Police report, striking an embankment along the south side of U.S. 70. No other vehicles were involved in the accident.

Lakeside Superintendent Shawn Cook said Friday night the injured players and coaches were in stable condition. Arkansas State Police said in a news release that none of the injuries were life-threatening.

Lakeside wrestling coach H.E. Burchard, who has been at the school for three years, was driving the bus and was one of the two coaches injured. The other coach was not identified.

Eight players were transported to Howard Memorial Hospital in Nashville, where they were released Friday night. Two other players, along with the two coaches, were sent to CHI St. Vincent in Hot Springs and remained hospitalized Friday night.

"Everybody is doing good at St. Vincent," Cook said.

A Lakeside trainer, whom Cook did not identify, was following the buses and attended to the injured players and coaches. Cook said there were "between 60 to 70" football players on the bus.

"We were fortunate that a sports trainer was behind them," Cook said. "She helped take care of business."

There were three buses traveling to De Queen. The other two buses included cheerleaders and the school band, Cook said. Uninjured players from the bus involved in the wreck were put on the other two buses headed to De Queen before the postponement.

Newhope is an unincorporated community in Pike County, 12 miles northeast of Dierks. It is approximately 94 miles from Hot Springs to De Queen using U.S. 270 and U.S. 70, which was the route Lakeside was taking. The Lakeside buses were approximately 59 miles from DeQueen at the time of the accident.

Lakeside (6-1) entered Friday night leading the 5A-South with a 4-0 record. The Rams have won five consecutive games, including a 28-26 victory last Friday against Hope at Austin Field in Hot Springs.

Friday's bus crash was the second involving an Arkansas high school football team this fall.

A school bus carrying the Heber Springs High School football team was involved in a wreck Oct. 3 while traveling north on Arkansas 5 just north of Rose Bud. The wreck, which took place when the bus struck a deer, left eight players injured.

Heber Springs was traveling back from a game at Stuttgart. Panthers Coach Darren Gowen was driving the bus.

Information for this article contributed by Emily Nitcher of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Sports on 10/24/2015

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