HILO — A state employee remained hospitalized Thursday after his vehicle collided with a school bus Wednesday in Mountain View.
Tony Pratt, a facility maintenance worker for the Department of Education, struck a school bus Wednesday morning at the intersection of Highway 11 and North Oshiro Road.
According to a police report, Pratt was southbound on Highway 11 when the northbound bus attempted to make a left turn onto North Oshiro Road, cutting across Pratt’s path.
Pratt’s daughter, Breena Pratt, said her father was unable to stop in time partly because he was towing a large lawnmower which pushed his vehicle forward despite his braking.
Chad Farias, superintendent of the Ka‘u-Keaau-Pahoa Complex Area, said Tony Pratt struck the bus on the passenger side of the front fender. Only eight children and the driver were in the bus at the time.
Farias said the incident was the first time a school bus was involved in a crash in the two years since he has been superintendent.
Farias said two children, both girls, sustained minor injuries in the crash.
“One of the kids had a cut to the mouth because she was eating a candy cane, and the other said she had a sore shoulder,” Farias said.
Both children were treated and released from Hilo Medical Center within the day.
Pratt, however, sustained more serious injuries. His wife, Brenda Pratt, said no fractures were found, but he sustained significant bruising, including two hematomas on his chest and left leg.
Breena Pratt said her family was told that Tony Pratt might have suffered a concussion. The family hoped he would be released Friday.
“He’s in an awful lot of pain,” Brenda said. “Everything feels kind of out of place.”
Harder to see, but no less real, is Tony Pratt’s psychological trauma.
“He was screaming earlier today,” Breena Pratt said Thursday. “He wasn’t able to sleep last night because he kept dreaming of the crash, and it kept ending differently.”
“He’s a wreck,” Brenda Pratt said. “He can’t wrap his head around it, that he nearly hurt those kids.”
Tony Pratt is not considered at fault for the crash. In fact, Brenda Pratt said, his reactions prevented a possibly far more serious crash.
“We’re only celebrating Christmas this year because Tony’s good at driving,” Brenda Pratt said.
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com
