Survivor Of Bemidji Bus Crash Speaks Out

It was just another morning on the school bus – until things took a tragic turn. Eight-year-old Yasmine was one of the many students on the bus headed to Northern School. Yasmine and her friends where playing Pokemon when they felt the impact of the bus being struck by a car, forever changing their lives.

Yasmine, loves school, and enjoys math, she also loves to dance, as seen in a video taken just a few weeks ago showing Yasmine as a talented and creative kid. For her parents, when they heard about the crash, they thought the worst.

As the bus rolled Yasmine was thrown from her seat, broke her collar bone, and hit her head, causing deep lacerations to her face requiring 36 stitches. But Yasmine’s road to recovery is only beginning, with her expected recovery to take two to three years. Yasmine says that she is still very sore from the crash.

Before anyone was at the seen to rescue the students from the bus, many of the kids were scared and screaming. Yasmine says she thought she was going to die.

It’s been just over a week since the tragic accident happened and signs of the crash still remain on the side of the road. But for Yasmine’s family, raw emotions and anger still remain.

For an eight-year-old child, recalling such a tragic event can be extremely difficult. At times it is hard for her to reflect on what happened. Yasmine and her family are very grateful to all those who helped at the scene. For Yasmine, she looks forward to going back to school and seeing all her friends and giving them a big hug.

The driver of the car that hit the school bus, Thomas Lee Nielson, was given a citation by a Beltrami County Sheriffs Deputy. Sheriff Phil Hodapp says that there could be additional charges in the coming weeks as law enforcement finalizes their investigation.