A Perryville man died Tuesday morning in a traffic crash on Route K in Perry County.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports James E. Kennedy, 72, was pronounced dead at the scene by Perry County Coroner Bill Bohnert.
According to the MSHP report, Kennedy was the driver of a southbound 2023 Freightliner B2 school bus which failed to negotiate a curve to the right. The patrol says Kennedy overcorrected and the vehicle struck a northbound 2006 Sterling Acterra, or box truck, driven by Chad M. Taylor, 45, of Perryville. After the impact that saw the bus strike the left front of the truck, the school bus ran off the left side of the roadway and struck a culvert.
Kennedy was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident, while Taylor was wearing a seatbelt.
Taylor did not sustain any injuries.
The crash happened about 6:02 a.m. north of Bluebird Lane.
The school bus was a total loss. The box truck had moderate damage.
Perry County School District No. 32 stated the bus was assigned to Route 3. Officials with the school district asked parents to bring children to school who would have taken that bus. The district stated “The bus cannot complete its route and there are no other drivers available at this time.”
There were no children on the school bus at the time of the accident.
“Perry County School District 32 is grieving the loss today of a beloved bus driver. James Kennedy has been a school bus driver at District 32 since October 2021,” Deputy Superintendent Fara Jones said in a Facebook post. “He previously drove buses for the Sikeston school district, and was also a truck driver for 40 years. Mr. Kennedy is survived by his daughter Barb Kennedy and her partner Daniel Brooks, who teaches at Perryville High School. He was the uncle of Superintendent Andy Comstock. Please keep James, his family and friends, and his fellow bus drivers in your thoughts and prayers.”
