About 100 people gathered in Port Barre Friday night to pray for the victims of a crash involving a St. Landry Parish school bus. A rosary was said for two of the children who are still in critical condition; identified at the vigil as 5 year old Karen Stoute and 15 year old Colby Richard.

"He's really nice and he's a good friend," said Mauri Leger, a classmate of Colby's.

One of the more poignant moments came at the end of the vigil, when people lined up to console and support Mayor Gil Savoy, who was behind the wheel of the bus when the tractor trailer approached from behind.
"I looked in my mirror and I said oh my God brace yourselves, we're going to get rear-ended, and then about 2 seconds later he just plowed into the back of the bus," said Savoy.

State Police say the bus had it's lights flashing and stop signs out, when for unknown reasons a tractor trailer struck it from behind on US 190 in Port Barre. The driver of the tractor trailer has been identified as 52-year-old David Cox of Dallas, TX. Witnesses reported seing debris falling from the tractor trailer moments before the crash. The incident remains under investigation.

Jim Hummel

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