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Griffith High School Bus Overturned While Transporting Basketball Team To State Semifinal Game

By Trisha Faulkner
Published on: 10:01 PST, Mar 19, 2016

According to the Indianapolis Star, a bus transporting the Griffith High School boys’ basketball team overturned while traveling down I-65 to Lafayette for a state semifinal game.

There were a total of 27 passengers on the bus including 21 students and 6 adults. It has been reported by authorities that at least 14 of the passengers on the bus were transported to different hospitals to be treated for their injuries. The assistance count was airlifted to a hospital in Chicago. ThePost-Tribune reported that Indiana State Police Sgt. Alan Jamerson said the bus overturned at roughly 12:25 p.m. and there were no serious injuries.

North Carolina surgeon Mark Kadowaki reported to the Northwest Times that an emergency crew had to extract one person from the bus. The other passengers were able to get off the bus without any assistance from the emergency crew.

As a precaution, all passengers of the Griffith High School bus received medical attention, according to the Griffith High School Athletic Director Stacy Adams.

Michael Osipoff of the Post-Tribune was able to provide several updates via Twitter regarding the injured passengers of the overturned Griffith High School bus after speaking with Gary Hayes, the coach of the basketball team.

The Indiana High School Athletic Association reported on their Twitter account that the state semifinal game would be postponed. Per their Twitter account, they will confirm with the administration officials tomorrow to discuss a possible makeup date and will release the information after a decision is made between the association and the school.

The other game between McCutcheon and Warsaw scheduled at Lafayette was postponed until 7:30 p.m. today.

A brief look at the history of the IHSAA

During the 1890s, there were several different regional athletic associates founded around the state of Indiana. However, the state lacked any statewide organization that provided administration for the athletes. This resulted in a lack of consistent game rules and frequent abuse. This abuse included non-students participating in games and undue influence.

It was in 1903 that several teachers in Richmond voiced concerns about the direction of high school athletics in the state of Indiana. These teachers became the seeds and roots of the association. The association was founded with the purpose of regulating, supervising, and administering interschool athletic activities.

According to the IHSAA website, there are no records of the very first schools in the state to join the association. However, the 1928 handbook lists 15 different schools as charter members: Anderson, Alexandria, Bloomington, Eaton, Fairmount, Goshen, Huntington, Indianapolis Manual Training, Indianapolis Shortridge, Kokomo, Marion, Noblesville, North Manchester, Salem, and Wabash. These schools are believed to be the first 15 in 1903 when the association was founded. Just a year later, on April 1, 1903, the membership more than doubled to 33 schools. By December of 1903, the membership nearly doubled again to 71 schools.

The athletics of Griffith High School

This public school in Griffith, Indiana, was founded in the mid-1900s when a previous high school in the area became too crowded to accommodate all of the students. The high school is part of the Northwest Crossroads Conference. All of the sports teams at this school compete under the name “Panthers” while wearing the colors black and gold.

The coach and principal of Griffith High School have reported they are just relieved that they are not grieving the loss of any lives after the bus overturned.

Update: It has been reported by The Indianapolis Star that the accident was caused when the driver of a 2001 Kia sideswiped the bus after losing the lid to her drink and spilling it on herself. In trying to catch the drink, the driver lost control of her vehicle.

[Image via Shutterstock]

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