Fatal Crash Involving School Bus on U.S. 84 in Valdosta, Georgia

VALDOSTA, GA- The valdostadailytimes.com reports that a woman died in a collision with a school bus late last week during the early morning. The Lowndes County Coroner identified the victim as a 59-year-old woman from Lakeland.*

The crash occurred on U.S. 84 in the westbound lanes when the driver of a passenger vehicle struck the rear of the school bus near Delmar Road. The driver of the smaller vehicle died in the collision. 

There was a one-year-old child riding in the back of the car, and fortunately, that child did not sustain any injuries in the tragic crash. 

The Lowndes County schools stated that there were fifteen elementary school students on the bus at the time of the collision. The bus was heading to drop the students off at the Moulton-Branch Elementary School. Responders transported some of the students to the hospital as a precautionary measure, but none sustained severe injuries. 

The Georgia State Patrol wrote that the highway was covered by a thick fog the morning of the incident. The fog is believed to have played a role in the crash. 

The Federal Highway Administration writes that about 21 percent of the 5,891,000 car accidents that take place annually are at least partially weather-related. The leading causes of weather-related car crashes include rain and wet pavement. Snow, sleet, and ice account for most other weather-related traffic accidents. While fog impairs driver visibility, only three percent of weather-related car accidents are attributed to fog each year. At least part of the reason that rain is the leading cause of accidents is that it occurs more frequently and throughout much of the country on a regular basis. Fog is less common.

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Sources:https://www.valdostadailytimes.com/news/update-fatality-identified-in-school-bus-wreck/article_aac1869c-0d36-11ea-b532-d3aa674de43b.html and https://www.walb.com/2019/11/22/one-dead-lowndes-school-bus-car-collision/