Driver Dozes, Hits Back of Tamaroa Bus
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Two Tamaroa Grade School students were taken to local hospitals with minor injuries after a Du Quoin man dozed off at the wheel and struck the rear of a stopped school bus at 3:25 p.m. Tuesday.
The Perry County Sheriff's Department says bus driver Jean Downs of Radom was dropping off children along her daily route three miles south of Tamaroa when the car driven by Jamaal Hamilton of Du Quoin hit the back of the bus.
Hamilton was cited for driving without a valid license and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.
The speed and impact was enough to lodge his Kia Optima under the rear bumper of the bus. It had to be separated from the bus by Watts Towing Service of Du Quoin.
The bus was carrying 10 students and was southbound on Rt. 51 about five miles north of Du Quoin getting ready to make an east turn onto Pintail Road.
The two children were taken to Marshall Browning Hospital in Du Quoin and the Pinckneyville Community Hospital--by the Pinckneyville Ambulance Service.
Attending EMTs opened up the doors to their ambulance and ushered students out of the dampness and into the ambulance for a quick check to make sure there were no unseen injuries.
Shortly thereafter another school bus was sent to the scene to transfer students and complete the route. By then, some worried parents had already come to the accident site themselves. The Tamaroa Fire Department assisted responders at the scene. The accident was investigated by Sheriff's Department deputy Larry Galbraith.