A Taneytown man is listed in critical condition Friday after being hit by school bus in Sykesville.
Amos Ashe, 79, of Westminster, was driving a school bus in the eastbound lane of Third Avenue at about 2:30 p.m. Thursday, when it crossed the line, struck construction worker Gary F. Rucker near the shoulder of the westbound lane and knocked him under the bus, said Maryland State Police.
Rucker, 40, was moving orange construction barrels from the center of Third Avenue near Central Avenue, where road work had concluded recently, and the westbound lane was being reopened, according to state police.
Rucker was flown to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore on Thursday and stayed there Friday, said University of Maryland Medical Center spokesman Bill Seiler.
Police have not determined why the bus swerved to the other side of the road, but investigators have not indicated alcohol was a factor, said Maryland State Police Spokesman Sgt. Thomnie Rouse.
The bus is owned by The ARC of Carroll County, an organization that provides special education and support for residents with developmental disabilities.
Officials from ARC did not comment Friday, but Ashe had been recognized for outstanding service to the organization as recently as Feb. 27, according to its Web site.
The only passenger on the bus was an adult aide, who was not named because police do not identify uninjured passengers, Rouse said. Neither the aide nor Ashesustained injuries, he said.
Sykesville Police initially responded to the incident, then called in the Maryland State Police accident investigation and reconstruction team. No charges have been filed, and the investigation is continuing, Rouse said.
