CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — Several people were injured Tuesday morning in a crash between an elementary school bus and a tractor-trailer, the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office said.
Six students were headed to Free Home Elementary when the vehicles collided, a Cherokee County Schools representative said. The crash occurred at about 7:50 a.m. on Hightower Road near the Lovelace Lane intersection, Cherokee Fire spokesman Tim Cavender said. Witnesses said they heard a loud bang and the cries of young children.
"The little kids were real bad upset, shook up, crying," nearby resident Michelle Smith told Channel 2's Linda Stouffer.
School Bus Collides With Tractor-Trailer
The crash sent the 18-wheeler tumbling down a steep embankment, Cavender said. The truck was left lying on its side in a wooded area. When firefighters arrived, the 43-year-old driver was entrapped, Cavender said. Georgia State Patrol troopers said he may have saved the children's lives by swerving to avoid the bus.
"At this point, it looks like the school bus pulled out in front of the tractor-trailer," trooper Travis Roberts told Stouffer.
Cavender said firefighters rescued the truck driver, and he was taken to North Fulton Hospital for serious injuries.
The 52-year-old bus driver was also seriously injured, Cavender said. He said she was taken to North Fulton after complaining of neck pain.
Four students, two girls and two boys, were taken to Northside Cherokee Hospital for minor injuries.
"All with various bumps and bruises. All are being treated as we speak and are expected to be released shortly," Northside Creekside spokeswoman Katherine Watson told Channel 2's Tom Regan.
The other students were picked up by family members, firefighters said.
Both lanes of Hightower Road were blocked as a line of tow trucks worked to clear the scene. The road has since been reopened.
The accident was being investigated by the Georgia State Patrol.
WSBTV
