RICH HILL, S.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – Students from Lancaster County are recovering from injuries after their school bus crashed on the way to school.
Lonnie Plyler, director of Safety and Transportation with Lancaster County Schools, said there were 13 middle and high school students on the bus that crashed on Spirit Road. Seven went to the hospital – plus another was transported later in the day. Right now, all but one are back home.
There are only dirt tire tracks left in the road after Andrew Jackson High School and Andrew Jackson Middle School students got into an accident on the way to school Friday.
Stephen Dingler’s aunt and brother live in these two homes along spirit road in the Rich Hill community.
“You need to come down here, you got a school bus in the front yard. I said ‘What?” Dingler recalls. “When I saw it, I said, ‘Well everybody was okay.’ I asked, ‘Well, what about the kids on the bus?’ and they said ‘Well, yes, some of them were in the emergency room but nothing serious.’”
This is relief also shared by Plyler.
“With the accident that happened itself we’re very lucky that the bus didn’t roll over,” he said. “If it had rolled over it would have been much worse. We’re very fortunate there was no more injuries than we already had.”
Plyler said the bus ran off of the right side of the road, hit a culvert, went into a ditch then stopped between these yards. No other cars were involved.
“These buses are big, and they are very stable, but once they leave the road it can be very dangerous,” Plyler said.
The bus driver told Dingler and Plyler she was trying to avoid a deer.
“[Deer] cross through here a lot,” Dingler said. “They run out in front of here and she said they was just there and when it went into the ditch it jumped the ditch it just come this way.”
Dingler said he’s happy to hear everyone should be OK.
“Property damage you can fix that, but you can’t bring back somebody,” Dingler said.
Plyler said the bus driver is suspended right now waiting on the outcome of interviews and the investigation. He said the accident review team will go from there.
South Carolina Highway Patrol is also investigating the accident.
Plyler said the student who has not been released from the hospital is waiting to find out if surgery is needed.
