FIVE HURT IN CRASH OF VAN, SCHOOL BUS

Smoke from a grass fire may have contributed to a head-on collision between a school bus and minivan in Scott County Wednesday.

At about 4 p.m., Lisa Scherer, 34, of Oran, the driver of the van, veered to the left while traveling east on Scott County Road 264 just off Missouri Highway 77 between Chaffee and Oran.

Apparently smoke from the fire on both sides of the road obstructed her vision, and the van collided with an Oran School District bus headed west. The driver of the bus was Sara Duzman, 45, of Oran.

No children on the bus were injured, the Missouri Highway Patrol said.

Oran High School principal Mitch Wood estimated there were seven or eight children remaining on the bus at the time of the crash. They ranged from first-graders to sophomores in high school.

Another bus was called in and arrived shortly to take the students safely home.

Scherer and her children -- Kaylin, 2, Hunter, 10, Hailey, 6, and Kelsey, 8, -- all received injuries. Scherer was taken to Southeast Missouri Hospital where she was listed in serious but stable condition Wednesday night.

The children were taken to St. Francis Medical Center. Two were admitted and were listed in good condition Wednesday night.

The accident is being investigated by the Missouri Highway Patrol's commercial vehicle enforcement division. The name of the person burning the grass was not given.