West Georgia Technical College Women’s Basketball Team Bus Accident on Interstate 81 in Pulaski County, Virginia
PULASKI COUNTY, VA. – March 3, 2018 (ajc.com) According to a news report by ajc.com, a bus driver is facing DUI and possession charges following a collision while transporting the West Georgia Technical College women’s basketball team.*
On the morning of March 2, Willie Frank Walker, 59, of Carrollton, was driving a bus transporting the West Georgia Technical College women’s basketball team to the NJCAA Division III District Championship tournament in Rockville, Maryland. While traveling northbound on Interstate 81 in Pulaski County, Virginia, Walker reportedly drifted into another lane and sideswiped a tractor trailer. The bus swerved off the road, overcorrected, then swerved off the road again. The bus hit an embankment and overturned, injuring all 13 passengers on board.
Walker was taken into custody and is being held in New River Valley Regional Jail on charges of driving under the influence of drugs and possession of marijuana. The 13 people on board, including all of the basketball team members, were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. Fortunately, at this time, no life-threatening injuries have been reported.
Virginia state police are investigating whether fatigue played any role in the wreck. West Georgia Technical College spokesperson Ben Chambers said the school was cooperating with the police investigation.
In a statement released after the accident, West Georgia Tech Acting President Scott Rule said the school was “terribly upset” by the accident that affected its women’s basketball team, and that the school’s “first priority [was] to ensure all [its] players receive the care they need and are returned safely home.”
The women’s team was coming off its fifth consecutive victory in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association Women’s Division III Basketball Championship, which advanced them to the district tournament in Maryland.
Accident News is a driver safety and education initiative from Montlick & Associates, designed to help drivers 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 a free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) or use our live chat at Montlick.com.
Montlick & Associates, Attorneys at Law
17 Executive Park Dr NE
Atlanta, GA 30329
Telephone: 1 (800) LAW-NEED
Telephone: 1 (404) 529-6333