Two students have been killed in a horror school bus crash in Tennessee that has left at least seven injured in what officials described as ‘a parent’s worst nightmare.’
The deadly collision happened around 12pm Friday in Carroll County, about two hours west of Nashville, near the intersection of Highway 70 and Cedar Grove Road.
The bus was carrying Kenwood Middle School students from the Clarksville-Montgomery County school system while they were on a field trip to Jackson.
Both students were declared dead at the scene, according to Tennessee Highway Patrol Major Travis Plotzer.
The crash involved the school bus, a Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) dump truck and a Chevrolet Trailblazer.
‘I want to speak directly to the families of the students that we lost today: there are no adequate words we can use to ease the pain that you’re feeling right now,’ Plotzer said Friday at a press conference.
In total, there were 25 students and five school employees on the bus, two passengers in the dump truck and one in the Chevrolet.
Several of the injured were airlifted to hospitals in Nashville and Memphis for treatment.
Two middle school students died in a bus crash on Friday in Carroll County, Tennessee, about two hours east of Nashville, while on their way to a field trip
At least seven people were injured in the crash. Victims were airlifted to hospitals in Nashville and Memphis
Authorities said the crash involved the school bus carrying the Kenwood Middle School students, a Tennessee Department of Transportation dump truck and a Chevrolet Trailblazer
Nine helicopters were called to the scene, with seven flying the injured.
Four people were taken to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville and were in stable condition as of yesterday, the Associated Press reported.
Another 19 were transported to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Carroll County, a spokesperson for its parent company told the outlet.
All were evaluated and later released, though it remained unclear how many were seriously injured.
The bus was taking students and staff from Kenwood Middle School to Jackson for a field trip at the Greenpower USA Toyota Hub City Grand Prix at Rockabillys Stadium, according to the Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle.
The two-day event features both middle and high school students racing electric cars they built themselves at school.
Teams were scheduled to arrive at noon with a practice session beginning at 1pm.
Families of everyone on the bus were contacted and told to head to a reunification site at the First Baptist Church in Huntingdon.
The church was closed on Friday as law enforcement officers connected families inside.
Most children had been reunited with their families by yesterday evening, one officer who was not named told the outlet.
Students were reunited with their families yesterday evening at the First Baptist Church in Huntingdon
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee asked residents of the state to join him and his wife in prayer for those affected by Friday’s crash
Plotzer said authorities were still sorting out the details of the crash but that ‘it doesn’t appear that TDOT had any contributing factors to the crash.’
A spokesman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) told the Daily Mail on Saturday morning: ‘The cause of the crash remains under investigation. The THP’s reconstruction team, CIRT, is working to gather all facts before we can release additional details.’
The principal of Kenwood Middle School, Karen Miller, called the crash an ‘unimaginable tragedy.’
‘As we process this loss together, please know that the well-being of our students, staff, and families remains our top priority,’ Miller said on Facebook.
She added that counselors would be available starting Monday to ‘support anyone in our school community who may need someone to talk to in the days ahead and for as long as needed.’
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee asked all Tennesseans to join him and his wife Maria ‘in prayer for the Kenwood Middle School students & faculty, TDOT employees, & all families impacted by the tragic bus crash today in Carroll County.’
‘We are heartbroken over the loss of life & ask for God’s healing over the injured,’ he wrote on X.
‘As authorities continue to investigate, we are deeply grateful to every first responder supporting these Tennesseans in their most difficult time.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Tennessee Department of Transportation and the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System, which Kenwood Middle School belongs to, for further comment.
