News

Actions

School bus carrying more than 20 students overturns in Dinwiddie County

Posted at 9:52 AM, Jan 12, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-12 09:53:26-05

DINWIDDIE COUNTY, Va. -- More than 20 students were taken to the hospital to be checked out after their school bus overturned Thursday morning along the 25000 block of Ferndale Road in Dinwiddie County, WTVR reports.

"The driver of the bus is being transported to VCU Medical Center for treatment," a Virginia State Police spokeswoman said. "There were 23 elementary school students on the bus. Only one has complained of injury, but all are being transported to the hospital to be checked as a precautionary measure."

The bus driver was initially trapped on the bus and had to be extricated, according to witnesses.

Khadijah Holland, who said she saw the overturned bus and helped children escape, said the bus driver was injured.

She described the children as elementary-school aged and said they seemed more frantic than seriously hurt.

She said the roads were not icy and she was not sure what caused the crash.

"I don't know how the accident happened," she said. "There was no ice anywhere."

Dinwiddie Schools reopened for the first time since Thursday after weekend snow closed schools across Central Virginia.

"Please be safe as there may still be snow and ice in places and at the bus stop," the school system warned on its website.

Mutual aid was requested from Chesterfield County Fire and EMS and VCU Medical Center was prepared to receive multiple patients as a result of the school bus accident. Some of the injured were taken to Southside Memorial Regional Hospital.