Children hurt after car hits school bus

Five Osseo-area children were injured after a school bus they were riding in was rear-ended last week Tuesday. The driver of the striking vehicle is being investigated for potential impairment and reckless driving, according to a press release sent by the Trempealeau County Sheriff’s Department.

The release said that the preliminary investigation indicated that an Osseo-Fairchild School District bus carrying 14 children attempted make a lefthand turn onto Nelson Road off of Highway 53 in the town of Sumner before it was rear-ended by a 2013 Nissan Rouge. 

Five of the children on the bus were treated for minor injuries. Both the driver, Ryan Strittmater, 28, La Crosse, and passenger, Jade Trussoni, 24, La Crosse, of the Nissan were transported to local hospitals for serious, but not life-threatening injuries. 

As of Monday, no charges had been filed in the crash. Strittmater was cited by the county sheriff’s department for operating while suspended in January. Last November, he was cited by the Wisconsin State Patrol for operating while intoxicated in Eau Claire County. 

Assisting at the scene were the Osseo police and fire departments, Mayo Clinic Ambulance and helicopter and Wisconsin State Patrol.