At least 19 students taken to hospitals after school bus crash

ATLANTA (WANF/Gray News) - At least 19 students were taken to medical facilities as a “precautionary measure” after a crash between a school bus and car in Georgia Wednesday morning, according to the school district and county fire department.

The crash happened at 4223 River Road in Ellenwood in DeKalb County. Officials previously said four students had minor injuries, while someone from the other vehicle said they had “moderate” injuries.

The students were taken to several medical facilities.

The bus could be seen resting in a ditch with its front smashed in, while the other car’s hood was also crushed.

The bus, which was taking students to Salem Middle School, did not have any seat belts.

Jalisa Bradley, the mother of a 6th grader, said her daughter called her right after the crash.

“All you could hear was kids screaming, frantic. The bus driver [was] yelling at kids to come back, trying to gain control of the situation,” Bradley said.

Bradley said her daughter was taken to the hospital with a black eye and swollen face. According to her daughter, the bus driver swerved into the ditch and hit a pole while trying to avoid an oncoming vehicle.

“It’s just one of those things you can’t even prepare for. You want your kids to get to school safe,” Bradley said. “I don’t even know if it’s best to just start taking your own kids to school, but you just never know. I just really hope everybody is safe.”

Raymond Stanley, DeKalb County Schools’ executive director for transportation, said the woman driving the bus has been with the district for a long time and did everything right. He also said the district takes driving seriously.

“Our first preliminary goal is to make sure all students are safe, transported safely to school each and every day,” he said. “Drivers go through extensive training to become bus drivers, as well as annual evaluations throughout the year to ensure that they are in proper situations to drive our students to and from school safely.”

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