At 3:15 pm yesterday afternoon, January 8, 2024, Nestucca Fire District responded to a report of a 2 school bus accident on Highway 101 South and the intersection of Bridge Street.
First on scene received reports of possibly 5 to 8 injuries. Crews started to perform evaluations of the students and bus drivers; the number of possible injuries increased to possible 18 after the first triage.
All the people that were involved were moved to a shop next to the accident. The incident was increased to a level 1 Mass Casualty incident, which brought in more resources from Tillamook County, Lincoln County and Yamhill County.
All patients were evaluated again, and 3 patients were transported to North Lincoln Hospital and 9 patients were transported to Tillamook Hospital and Urgent Care.
Nestucca Fire District would like to thank the following agencies for their assistance in this incident:
Tillamook Ambulance
Tillamook County Sheriff Office
Oregon State Police
North Lincoln Fire and Rescue
Tillamook Fire District
Netarts Oceanside Fire
Nestucca School District
Nestucca Fire District
Lannus Iron Works
Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde Emergency Services
Today, January 9, NVSD Superintendent Misty Wharton shared a letter explaining the situation, the District’s emergency response actions, and thanked the community and first responders for their quick action. Superintendent Wharton explained that the event was labeled a “mass casualty event” due to the numbers of people involved, not the severity of the injuries, and that provides immediate response from more resources. With social media and scanner pages, hearing “mass casualty incident” and school buses caused a great deal of anxiety and stress for the community. Here is Superintendent Wharton’s letter to the community:
