RESERVE, La. — Tire marks and downed highway signs showed the spot Monday where a deadly school bus crash happened in Reserve.
“That’s my Nanny. You know how we feel about our nannies and our parrains, Superman and Super Woman,” said Darrious Petterson, Sr.
Patterson and Keara Joseph say their great-aunt, 67-year-old Beverly Creecy was running errands Friday afternoon when a St. John Parish School Bus crashed into her SUV. She was taken to the hospital, where she died.
“Getting out there, to see the kids off the bus, no one was hurt, but they were just quiet, so I knew it was bad,” said Patterson.
Photos from the scene show how bad it was. State police say the bus was turning right onto Highway 44th from East 22nd Street. That’s when police say, for an undetermined reason, the bus veered into Creecy’s eastbound path on Highway 44. The bus driver was taken to the hospital and treated for minor injuries. Police said none of the 28 kids on the bus were injured.
“We feel for the young lady who was driving the bus,” said Patterson. “That’s a classmate of mine. So, it’s also a friend of the family.”
“It’s a hurtful situation all the way around,” said Joseph.
St. John Schools Superintendent Dr. Cleo Perry Jr. released the following statement Monday.
“In the wake of Friday's unfortunate accident involving one of our school buses, St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools extends its heartfelt condolences to the families affected. The safety and well-being of our students and the community at large remain our focus. We have deployed mental health specialists such as I-Care to East St. John High School this week. The matter is being investigated by law enforcement officials, and we will respect the investigation by not commenting any further on this matter.”
While there are still some unknowns for Creecy’s family, they do know how well-loved she was in her community. She spent more than 30 years in the public school system, most of that time working with kids with special needs.
“Her smile, her character. No one is left out when she’s around,” said Patterson.
“She cut no corners. She just tells it like it is,” said Joseph.
“Yeah, she’s going to tell it like it is whether you want to hear it or not, but man, it’s all out of love though, all out of love,” said Patterson.
Knowing the love she had for her large family, now left behind, moving forward isn’t easy.
“We’re a large family. We’re always together. Every Sunday. Every Holiday. It’s always us,” said Joseph. “Just to not have her there; it won’t be the same. It won’t.”
As of Monday afternoon, there have been no charges filed because of this crash and state police say there are no updates. The crash remains under investigation and toxicology results are pending.
WWL Louisiana will provide updates once further information becomes available.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.