15 students taken to hospital following school bus wreck
Nearly two dozen students were taken to a hospital Thursday morning after two Social Circle school buses were involved in a wreck, officials said.
The crash happened about 9:40 a.m. on Ga. 11 in Newton County, according to Social Circle police Chief Jeffrey Fuesting.
One bus stopped abruptly to avoid a car wreck that happened right in front of it, according to the Georgia State Patrol. The second bus, which was following too closely, hit the first bus in the rear, GSP said.
Two children from the first bus and 13 from the second bus were taken to Piedmont Newton Hospital following the crash, GSP said.
It is not clear how many students were on the buses at the time of the wreck. The remaining students were taken to school on a separate bus, according to the district.
“We are making contact with the parents of the students being transported, and we will have staff members at the local medical facilities to meet with families as they arrive,” the school system said.
The buses were heading to the Alliance Theater for a field trip but were told to turn around near Lithonia due to the inclement weather, Channel 2 Action News reported. The buses wrecked on their way back to Social Creek Middle School.
The ground was wet due to storms at the time of the wreck, but GSP said there is no evidence to indicate weather was a factor. The agency is considering following too closely to be the official cause of the wreck.
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About the Author
Asia Simone Burns is a watchdog reporter for the AJC. Burns was formerly an intern in AJC’s newsroom and now writes about crime. She is a graduate of Samford University and has previously reported for NPR and WABE, Atlanta’s NPR member station.
