The accident happened about 3:30 p.m., according to the Minnesota State Patrol. Contributing to the accident were two Eden Valley school buses. One bus was on the shoulder experiencing engine problems enroute to Paynesville for the seventh and eighth grade basketball games. The other bus was taking students home from school.
According to the state patrol, the two school buses were westbound on Highway 55. The second bus was passing the first bus which was on the shoulder.
The bus with problems started to pull back onto the westbound driving lane. The Joshua Orbeck vehicle, following the second westbound bus was forced into the oncoming traffic lane, colliding with an eastbound vehicle driven by Nathan Miller, Eden Valley, according to the state patrol.
Orbeck and passenger Darren Kevin Brutger, 16, both of rural Paynesville, were in a 1988 Ford Escort. Driving a 1990 Mazda pickup was Miller, Eden Valley. All three teens are students at Eden Valley High School.
Orbeck was taken to the Paynesville Area Hospital then airlifted to North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale and was listed in serious condition. Miller was taken to the Paynesville Area Hospital, then transferred to St. Cloud Hospital where he was also listed in serious condition. Brutger, a passenger in the Orbeck car, was treated and released from the Paynesville Area Hospital emergency room. Miller was released from the hospital on Jan. 13. Orbeck was released on Jan. 12.
The accident is under investigation with the Minnesota State Highway Patrol.