Charges listed below are accusations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
On 3-1-2016 at 4:12 p.m., the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Department investigated a single-vehicle accident involving a school bus. The driver of the school bus is Donald Eckel, 54 of Sterling, IL. The accident occurred on Penrose Road approximately 1/3 mile east of Coleta Road. The accident occurred when Eckel was backing the school bus into a driveway. While backing, the bus backed into a tree limb. The limb broke through a window, and a passenger was struck. The passenger was transported to CGH Medical Center in Sterling with minor injuries. The accident remains under investigation.