DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A DeKalb County school bus crashed into a ditch Wednesday morning after being struck by an oncoming driver, officials said, and 19-20 students were taken to hospitals for evaluation. A school district spokesperson said there were no reports of anyone who'd been trapped or seriously injured.
The crash occurred at the 4200 block of River Road.
Raymond Stanley, the executive director for the district's transportation and fleet, said the bus was bound for Salem Middle and that the kids on board were students at the school. He said the students taken to hospitals were transported "for precautionary measures." Some parents who came to the scene also took their kids to get medical attention on their own.
There were about 25 students, in total, on the bus at the time of the crash, Stanley said. Stanley described the crash as "involving an oncoming passenger vehicle." A district statement said the oncoming vehicle struck the bus and caused it to swerve, hit a pole, and end up in a ditch.
A mom on the scene said her daughter was on the bus when the crash happened. Jalisa Bradley said her daughter explained that the bus had to veer off the road to avoid a drunk driver coming head-on. Police have not yet confirmed details about what led to the crash. And no arrests have been announced.
"He was getting out of the car on the stretcher just laughing," Bradley said.
She describes what she heard over the phone when her daughter called.
"All you can hear is kids screaming. Frantic, the bus driver, yelling at kids to come back," Bradley said.
Bradley said when she found her 11-year-old daughter, she had two black eyes and a swollen face.
"She hit her face on the back of the seat," Bradley said. "She hit her head on the side of the bus wall. And all of her belongings were dropping all over the bus."
Stanley said they were "very very fortunate" not to have had major injuries.
He was asked by reporters if the driver handled the situation correctly. Stanley responded that she did. He described her as a "veteran driver that we've had on our staff for quite a while."
"My daughter was so scared, so shaken up, you could hear the bus driver just scared trying to gather all the kids," Bradley said.
Bradley said she's not sure if she and her daughter will be comfortable getting back on the bus.
"You want your kids to get to school safe. I don't know if it's best to start taking your own kids to school. You just never know," Bradley said.
News happens fast. Stream it faster with our re-designed 11Alive+ app.
Watch newscasts, breaking news streams and get the latest sports, weather and VERIFY content -- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Available on Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV. Text "plus" to 404-885-7600 to download 11Alive+ and stream now.