Deadly School Bus Crash in South Carolina Leaves at Least 1 Dead

Officials said that at least one person was killed after a bus overturned on a South Carolina road when a tire blew.

The collision occurred on Interstate 77 in Chester County. School officials reported that the bus was returning students from Pine Ridge Middle School from a field trip outside Charlotte, North Carolina.

Lexington School District Two said Thursday night that there were two adults on the bus and about 35 students.

The Chester County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said that “multiple injuries were sustained” in the accident, but there was no information or confirmation on the number of injuries or their nature at this time. The victims were taken to several hospitals.

One occupant of the bus died, according to South Carolina Highway Patrol Sgt. Tyler Tidwell, who did not provide any additional details on the fatality.

According to the sheriff’s department, this crash was reported at 1:47 pm.

Tidwell stated that the bus was traveling southbound on I-77 at the time. “It traveled off the road to its right, hit a guardrail, and overturned,” he said. He said that the bus was the sole vehicle involved in this incident.

The footage shows that the bus is overturned, and part of it is on top of the guardrail.

The school district reported that two additional buses returning from the field trip took evasive action to avoid the accident.

School officials reported that multiple agencies, including emergency responders, were present on the scene. EMS assessed all occupants of the buses.

The school district reported that between the three buses, approximately 35 students and 4 adults were transported for further medical evaluation.

The school district issued a statement saying that it was grateful for its EMS, law enforcement, and first responder partners. This included those who were based locally as well as those located up the road on the affected Interstate 77 site. They worked tirelessly to help our Lexington Two employees, students, and families today.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating the collision.

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster said in a statement: “Today’s accident involving a school bus in Chester County was traumatic for any family to experience.” Henry McMaster made a statement. Please join us in prayer for the victim and their family. We also pray for a quick recovery for all those who were injured. The entire state of South Carolina stands with you.”