The Ely Timberwolves football team was involved in a tragic two-vehicle accident while on their way to a game against Onamia last Friday.

None of the Ely players, coaches or bus driver were seriously injured. However, a passenger in the other vehicle, 18-year-old Emmy Foss of Bovey died in the crash. The driver, 18-year-old Hailey Salo of Grand Rapids and another passenger, 16-year-old Paige Anderson of Bovey were critically injured.

The incident occurred around 3:30 p.m. on Hwy 169 and Curley Ave. in Coleraine just as the Ely school bus was passing through town. Twenty-three players, two coaches and the driver were on the bus.

According to reports, the bus was driving southbound on a four-lane section of Hwy 169. A Ford Taurus with three occupants crossed the northbound lanes from the left. It did not stop in the median between the lanes and the bus collided with it broadside at about 35 m.p.h.

Ely Head Football Coach Kurt Mattila said the accident happened very quickly.

“The car never stopped,” he said. “They never looked. It kind of rolled through. It didn’t accelerate, but it didn’t brake either. I hollered to [the bus driver] to hit the brakes, but he already saw it and did. Then boom.”

Mattila was sitting in the front seat of the bus near the door at the time of the collision. He was thrown into the bus windshield on impact and sustained bruised ribs and a shoulder. The windshield cracked but did not shatter. However, glass in the side door blew out and went into his clothes and across the bus. He said he received minor scratches to his eye, but when he was checked by medical personnel, there was no glass in it.

School officials said other passengers in the bus had bumps and bruises, but were otherwise physically uninjured.

Immediately after the crash, Mattila said he could see smoke coming from the other vehicle and he used the bus’s fire extinguisher to spray under the hood of the car.

At this point, he said many “good samaritans” who had seen the accident came to offer first aid.

Mattila said the girls inside were all unconscious. The girl on the passenger side was in bad condition. He checked her pulse and began administering CPR until EMTs arrived and he let them take over.

“She didn’t respond,” he said. “The other two did, but not her.”

Meanwhile, assistant coach John Smith and bus driver Jay Poshak got the players off the bus. They were all eventually taken to the hockey arena in Coleraine that was two blocks from the accident. They were checked for injuries at that time and questioned by the Minnesota State Patrol.

When Ely High School Principal Kim Belcastro was notified of the accident, she contacted District Transportation Director Jeff Jankowski and they departed in another bus to pick up the team in Coleraine. They all returned to Ely at about 8 p.m. that night.

According to Ely School Superintendent Don Langan, reports of the accident show no evidence that Poshak was at fault. The district gave Poschak paid time off to regroup after the incident.

“He seems to be doing well,” Langan said. “But he certainly has got a lot on his mind.”

On Monday morning, the team gathered in the school library to meet with counsellors and school officials as a follow-up to the accident. Counseling was also made available to them at any time afterward if needed.

Belcastro said she felt everyone had a difficult weekend and the effects of the tragedy are far-reaching. Their feelings also go out to the girls’ families and community.

“It was a somber day at school [on Monday],” she said. “We didn’t have serious injuries, but we’re feeling it in the school and the Ely community.”

She added that though the team is struggling with the incident, they wanted to do something out of respect for the girl who died. They considered attending her funeral in Grand Rapids on Thursday. However, after further consultation with all of the parties involved, school officials decided against it.

At Ely’s home football game on Wednesday, the team and spectators observed a moment of silence. The players also placed decals on their helmets bearing the initials of each girl’s first name.

Mattila said the players were shaken and somewhat traumatized, but he thinks they’ll be fine. It might take a little while, but they can grow from it. Overall, and especially at the accident, he said the players handled themselves extremely well.

“You couldn’t ask for more from kids.”

As of Timberjay press time on Thursday, Salo was reported in good condition. Anderson had been upgraded to stable.