HUNTINGDON, Tenn. — A school bus crash in west Tennessee killed two students and injured at least seven other people, officials said.
The crash involving a Tennessee Department of Transportation dump truck, a Chevrolet Trailblazer and the school bus happened about noon Friday on Highway 70 in Carroll County, said Maj. Travis Plotzer, a spokesperson for the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Plotzer said details of the crash were still being sorted out, but it appeared that the dump truck did not contribute to the crash.
Plotzer said there were 25 students and five adults aboard the bus, which was carrying a group from Kenwood Middle School in Clarksville on a field trip to Jackson, Tenn., the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System said in a statement. The cause of the crash was under investigation.
Plotzer announced the deaths of two students in the crash during a news conference. Officials said at least seven other people were taken by air ambulance to hospitals in Tennessee. The nature of their injures was not immediately disclosed. Plotzer called the crash “a parent’s worst nightmare.”
The school’s principal, Karen Miller, said counselors would be available starting Monday. In a message to families shared on Facebook, she called the crash an unimaginable tragedy and encouraged parents to be attentive to their children’s emotional needs as they process the deaths of their classmates.
“Please continue to pray with us for our students, families, faculty, and staff,” Miller wrote. “I am grateful for the strength of our Kenwood community, and I trust we will all support each other during this difficult time.”
Four people were taken to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, according to a Vanderbilt Health spokesperson, who said all were in stable condition but did not give more details.
An additional 19 people were taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Carroll County, said Kim Alexander, a spokesperson for Baptist Memorial Health Care. All were evaluated and released, but it was unclear how many were injured, she said.
The post 2 students dead and at least 7 others injured in Tennessee school bus crash appeared first on Los Angeles Times.
