JACKSON TOWNSHIP — A Fayetteville man was killed Friday morning when his Jeep crashed head-on into a school bus carrying 47 elementary school students from the Clermont Northeastern district.

        The veteran school bus driver was praised for maintaining control of the bus and preventing serious injury to his passengers.

        None of the students on the bus or the driver, John P. Pringle, 52, of Goshen, were seriously injured. The driver of the Jeep was James A. Gauche, 45, of Fayetteville.

        “The bus driver managed to get the bus stopped off the road, avoiding trees, and also got the bus stopped before it was going to go down an embankment into a creek,” said Gary Scarth, director of curriculum and instruction of Clermont Northeastern Local Schools. “My understanding is that at the point of impact the tie rod on the bus broke, which affected steering.”

        Ambulances from across Clermont County took Mr. Pringle and 17 students to three hospitals. All were treated and released. Another 21 students were taken to Clermont Mercy Hospital for evaluation, hospital officials said.

        A preliminary investigation showed that Mr. Gauche, who was alone in the 1975 Jeep, was driving north on Ohio 133 just south of Weaver Road about 8:30 a.m. when he drifted off the right edge of the road, Ohio State Highway Patrol officials said. He lost control, slid left of center and hit the bus. The bus slid off the road and into a ditch.

        There was no indication that alcohol was a factor in the crash, patrol Sgt. Kevin Long said. The wreck remains under investigation.

        Mr. Pringle has been a school bus driver in the district since 1996. He works for Laidlaw Transit Inc., which operates the district's transportation department.

        He is a good, consistent driver, said Brett Reeder, area manager of safety for Laidlaw.

        The bus was on its way to Clermont Northeastern Primary School.

        The accident happened about 7 miles from the school, Mr. Scarth said.

        Mass casualty disaster plans at Mercy Hospital Anderson and Mercy Hospital Clermont were activated because of the accident.

        Neither hospital had to call in off-duty workers to handle the patients, said Karen Kuhn, spokeswoman for Mercy hospitals.

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