Father, communities mourn loss of teen, truck driver

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ The father of a 16-year-old Ripley High School student killed in a bus crash says he was the first person on the scene and found his daughter dead. <br/><br/>Carlos Combs says as he

Thursday, March 31st 2005, 9:44 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ The father of a 16-year-old Ripley High School student killed in a bus crash says he was the first person on the scene and found his daughter dead.

Carlos Combs says as he pulled into the driveway of his home in Agra just after 4 Tuesday afternoon he saw the wreckage of the bus and a truck in the roadway about a half-mile from his home. Combs sped to the scene where his daughter, Sandra, and truck driver Carl Tarver of Cushing were dead. Another student on the bus, the bus driver and a passenger in Tarver's truck remain hospitalized with injuries.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol says it appears the bus failed to yield to the truck pulling a cattle trailer on State Highway 18. No citations have been issued.

Classes at Ripley were voluntary yesterday and ten counselors from nearby districts were sent to talk with students and help train school staff. Superintendent Kenny Beams says regular school hours will resume today but the schedule will be relaxed to allow students to visit with counselors as needed.