A tour bus from St. Paul, Minn., carrying 19 tourists, ran off the west side of Chapel Road about one-half mile from Precious Moments Park at approximately 10 a.m. today injuring three people.

According to witnesses on the bus, the driver of the southbound Tourcos Northern (of Eau Claire, Wis.) tour bus was forced off the road by a northbound vehicle.

“If our bus driver didn’t do what he did, the person in the car would have been killed,” said Joanne Tournquest, one of the injured persons on the bus. “Our bus driver did a great job.”

The bus went off the west side of the road and traveled about 25 yards in the mud before coming to a stop, hitting a fence post  breaking the front windshield. The bus was at a 45-degree angle with the back driver side tires off the surface.

After discussing how to get the people off the bus, members of the Carthage Fire Department took off the door with the Jaws of Life and helped all the people off. The bottom of the door was wedged en the mud forcing the rescue workers to use the Jaws of Life.

Three people sustained minor injuries.

“I was thrown to the floor and I thought I was going to die,” said Tournquest. “I had a knee replaced not too long ago and I hit that on the floor.”

Another person hit her shoulder and “felt dizzy” and another person sustained a minor injury.

Also responding to the scene were the Carthage Police Department, the McCune-Brooks Regional Hospital Ambulance and the Missouri Highway Patrol.

The group, which was on its way to Branson, was making a stop at the Precious Moments Park.