31 students have been injured in Newton County after their school bus was rear-ended by another bus on Tuesday afternoon. The driver of the school bus was also injured in the accident.
According to police reports, the crash occurred at approximately 3pm while the school bus was collecting students from Rocky Plains Elementary School. The accident happened on the southbound lane of Highway 162, close to the school.
The Georgia State Patrol, who is investigating the accident, said that initial reports from the scene indicate that the first bus was stopping to offload students when the second bus crashed into the back of it.
The school buses that were involved in the collision were bus no. 142 and bus no. 106, said a spokesperson for the Newton County School District in a press statement issued to CBS Atlanta News. Both buses were full of students at the time. Between the two buses, 31 students were injured. All of the injured learners were transported to the Newton Medical Center on another school bus, where they were treated for minor injuries. Four of the students were later transferred to Rockdale Medical Center, according to the director of marketing and business development for Rockdale. Many of the students have already been released from hospital and returned to school on Tuesday afternoon.
The bus driver of one of the buses sustained more serious injuries, and was transported to hospital by ambulance together with one other student. His injuries are not life-threatening, however, said a spokesperson for the hospital.
The students who were not injured in the accident were taken back to school by another bus, where they were picked up by parents or transferred onto another bus to be taken home. The Newton County School District reported that the school had called parents to notify them about the accident while the students were being transported to hospital.
It is not yet clear exactly what the cause of the accident was, however it appears that the driver of the second bus did not see the first driver stop and was unable to stop in time to avoid hitting the back of the bus. A full investigation will be carried out into the incident by the Georgia State Patrol, who are currently collecting statements from the pupils on the bus and from eye witnesses at the scene.
There was no further information on the accident by Tuesday afternoon.