The Braves’ Single-A baseball team was back together and headed to Myrtle Beach this afternoon after an early-morning bus crash, according to the Carolina Mudcats’ director of broadcasting and media relations.
Greg Young, the Mudcats’ director of broadcasting and media relations, said all team members took a second bus to Myrtle Beach after the original bush flipped over in Columbus County, N.C., at about 4 a.m. Tuesday. The team was traveling overnight from Salem, Va., with 33 people on board.
“I think everyone for the most part is in good spirits,” Young said in a telephone interview. “I think the fact everyone was able to get back together quickly, it was comforting to see everyone was OK and moving around. There was a lot of joking after the shock of the situation wore off. I think we all did a really good job of coming together to take care of one another.”
Seven players and a team trainer were treated for injuries at a hospital and released, Columbus County Emergency Services Director Kay Worley told WECT. The Braves said none of the players were seriously injured but the team did not have any more information as of this morning.
Among the players on the bus was Lucas Sims, the Braves’ first-round draft pick in 2012 out of Brookwood High. In a message posted to his Twitter account, Sims wrote that he was “beat up pretty good” but OK.
Young said he was dozing off when he heard the driver scream just before she lost control of the bus while taking a corner. The bus flipped on its side and skidded off the road.
“It all happened really fast,” Young said. “Even as we were sliding—have you ever been on a boat and been tossed off a water ski? You hit and for a moment you are out of control and falling and flying. You feel very helpless at that point and you are just hoping it stops and you would walk away. That’s all you can do at that point.”
The team was back on the road at about 11 a.m. with all team personnel on board.
“We got very lucky,” Young said.
The Mudcats’ game at Myrtle Beach scheduled for tonight has been postponed.
