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Rushville, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – A new federal report sheds light on a school bus crash and fire that killed five people.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report completed earlier this month on the crash near Rushville March 11, 2024, says prescription medication likely contributed to the crash.
The crash on U.S. 24 near Rushville happened after a school bus, doing 55 miles per hour, negotiated a curve in the road, crossed the center line, and hit a slow-moving Mack truck, killing both drivers and three students on the bus, and causing both vehicles to catch fire.
The report said Angela Spiker, 57, had a number of prescription pain killers and other meds in her system at the time of the crash, and those likely had something to do with the cause.
“The school bus driver’s use of multiple CNS (Central Nervous System) depressants and opioids likely contributed to the crash,” said the report. Each of these medications typically carries FDA warnings about impaired ability to operate motor vehicles or heavy machinery.”
The medications included Promethazine, Baclofen, Gabapentin, Tramadol (all CNS medications), Phentermine, and Acetaminophen. All but Acetaminophen contain warnings about their use, with most warning against operation of machinery or vehicles, the report indicates.
The report also claims Spiker failed to disclose some medical conditions that were asked about in obtaining a certificate to be a school bus driver.
“When a driver’s health history is missing or incomplete, medical examiners are at a disadvantage when completing the driver’s medical examination, particularly if there are no obvious findings from a physical exam related to a medical condition, as in this case,” the report said.
“The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the Rushville, Illinois, crash was the school bus driver’s impairment and fatigue from multiple prescription medications, which resulted in the school bus crossing the centerline into the path of the combination vehicle,” the report said.
But, the NTSB report did not focus solely on Spiker. The report also showed that Schuyler-Industry Schools did not have any safety policies or procedures in place outlined by the Illinois State Board of Education, nor did it follow state requirements for maintenance, and didn’t have any sort of policy at the time regarding cell phone use by drivers. That all has since changed.
“After the crash, the (Schuyler-Industry) 5 School District developed a transportation handbook for use by the school district’s school bus drivers and administrators,” according to the report. “The updated procedures were approved by the SID 5 school board in December 2025. The handbook outlines several policies, including a policy that prohibits the use of cell phones by school bus drivers unless for emergency use, and procedures for random periodic review of school bus video footage to ensure safety policies are being followed.”
The report made mention of Spiker using her cell phone while driving on multiple occasions in days leading up to the crash.
The driver of the Mack truck — David Coufal, 72, of Browning — was the only one of the people involved in the crash who wasn’t wearing a seat belt at the time, according to the NTSB.
“Based on the injuries documented by the forensic pathologist and the minimal delta-V of 1.5 to 7.5 mph experienced by the combination vehicle, it is likely that had the truck driver been restrained by the available lap/shoulder belt as required by (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) regulations and Illinois state law, he may have survived the initial impact and been able to self-extricate from the truck cab,” said the report.
Three children on the school bus also died — Maria Miller, 5, Andrew Miller, 3, and Noah Driscolle, 3, all of Rushville.
“The best protection for the preschool-age children would have been proper restraint in a (child safety restraint system), as recommended by (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration),” the report said, indicating the children were all wearing lap belts. “However, given the crash severity with an estimated change in velocity (delta-V) between 81.3 and 140.2 mph and the immediate and intense postcrash fire that engulfed the school bus, it is unlikely that proper use of a CSRS would have prevented the fatal injuries to the school bus passengers.”
Read more of the report below.