Bus carrying special needs pupils crashes BIG ROCK, Ill., Jan. 27 (UPI) -- Seat belts probably saved Illinois special needs students from being badly hurt Friday when a school bus went into a ditch, police said. The crash occurred at 8 a.m. in Big Rock in a rural area about 50 miles west of Chicago, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. The students were on their way to Krejci Academy, a school for children with autism and other severe emotional problems that contracts with about 50 districts. The driver and nine of the students were taken to hospitals for examination, Lt. Pat Gengler of the Kane County Sheriff's Office said. None had serious injuries. North American School Bus, the bus operator, requires all passengers to be belted in, Gengler said. Without that precaution, some of the children might have been seriously hurt. The driver apparently lost control of the bus and left the road. The bus fell over into a ditch as he tried to get back on course.