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1971 Gunnison High School football bus disaster...
1971 Gunnison High School football bus disaster...
Item # 720323
September 12, 1971
THE SOUTH BEN D TRIBUNE, Sept. 12, 1971
* Gunnison High School disaster - Colorado
* Junior varsity football team school bus crash
* Monarch Pass, Rockies - Rocky Mountains
The front page a banner headline that announces: "9 KILLED IN SCHOOL BUS CRASH" wit subhead and two related photos. (see images)
Complete with all 56 pages, foxing along the central fold, otherwise nice condition.
AI notes: On September 11, 1971, a tragic accident occurred when a school bus carrying the Gunnison High School junior varsity football team lost its brakes while descending the steep east side of Monarch Pass in Colorado. The bus, unable to slow down, veered off U.S. Highway 50, rolled multiple times, and ejected many of its passengers. Nine people were killed—eight teenage players and their 28-year-old coach, L.D. Floyd—while over 20 others were injured. Investigations revealed that the bus's transmission became disengaged, leaving it without engine braking, and that its structure, including the roof and side posts, failed catastrophically during the rollover. This devastating event deeply affected the Gunnison community and led to statewide reforms in school bus safety standards, including stronger roof structures and improved crashworthiness. Memorials and foundations were later established to honor the victims, and the tragedy remains one of Colorado’s most sobering transportation disasters.
Category: The 20th Century
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