Victim in Pierce County school bus crash identified
A driver who died in a collision with a school bus Thursday afternoon has been identified.
According to the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s public portal, the man is 79-year-old Manfred Bahle.
The crash occurred at the intersection of state Route 161 and Eustis Hunt Road at about 4:25 p.m., The News Tribune reported. The bus was an Eatonville School District vehicle.
According to a news release from the Washington State Patrol, Bahle was driving east and exiting to northbound state Route 161, while the school bus was driving on southbound state Route 161 at Eustis Hunt Road.
The school bus struck Bahle’s vehicle, the release said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
There were 36 children on the bus at the time, the news release said. Trooper Kameron Watts, spokesperson for WSP, told The News Tribune that one child was taken to a hospital with minor injuries, while the rest of the children were uninjured.
The roadway was blocked for six hours, the release said. The cause is listed as “under investigation.”
