School Bus In Cherokee County Involved in Crash with 32 Students on Board

CHEROKEE COUNTY, GA- 11alive.com writes that a school bus in Cherokee County was involved in a traffic accident at Bells Ferry Road and its intersection with Old Bascomb Road in the morning. According to a spokesperson at the Etowah High School, the bus collided with a car while carrying the students to their school.*

Following the impact, fifteen of the students stated that they were experiencing pain from the crash. Four of the victims were taken to the hospital. Another bus was sent to the crash site to take the other students to school. The driver in the other vehicle was also taken to the hospital with injuries. Police have not yet issued any citations in relation to the crash. 

While school bus crashes are widely reported in the media, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that students who take these buses to and from school are far safer than those who use any other form of transportation. The reason these buses are so much safer is that they are designed to be highly visible to others on the road. The color of the bus, the flashing red lights, and the stop sign arms are all meant to make these vehicles noticeable and to attract the attention of other drivers. 

These buses are also protected by the law. It is illegal to pass a school bus while the buses are dropping students off or picking them up. Drivers traveling in both directions are prevented from passing the buses, not just those driving in the same direction as the bus. The most dangerous time for students is when approaching or walking away from the school bus. 

Accident News is a safety and education initiative from Montlick & Associates, designed to help people better understand and thereby avoid common accident causes.  To learn more about our injury prevention programs, including iridesafe.com - click here. We hope you are never in an accident, but if you or family member are injured, call Montlick & Associates 24/7 for your free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) or use our live chat at Montlick.com.

Sources:https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/cherokee-county-school-bus-in-accident-32-students-on-board/85-e19ead69-d623-4b03-97ae-27731acc7e60 and https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/school-bus-safety