School Bus Crash Injures Five on Highway 421 in Aiken County, South Carolina (SC)

AIKEN COUNTY, SC- The augustachronicle.com writes that a crash involving a school bus led to injuries this week in Aiken County, South Carolina.*

The bus, which was carrying special education students, collided with a pickup truck. In total, five people suffered injuries in the accident, including two children riding the bus. The driver and two schoolchildren were the only ones on the bus at the time of the collision. The incident took place on Highway 421 at Belvedere Clearwater Road. Initial reports incorrectly stated that three students sustained injuries, but later updates stated that only two of the victims were schoolchildren. 

Law enforcement officers indicated that the bus and the pickup truck were both on the highway traveling in opposite directions when the bus driver attempted to make a left turn. The pickup truck collided with the turning bus. The light for both vehicles was green at the time of the wreck. The three people in the pickup truck suffered injuries in the incident, and responders transported them and the two students to the hospital. None of the injuries were considered life-threatening.

While school buses are occasionally in collisions that injure students, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) writes that these are the safest vehicles available. Students who take the bus to and from school are safer than those who travel in family cars or who walk. In fact, statistics indicate that the greater safety of school buses is no contest when compared to other methods of getting to and from school. A student taking the school bus is 70 times more likely to get to their destination safely, as are those traveling in cars. The design of school buses is intended to be highly visible, and the crush and rollover standards are better on these buses than any other vehicle. 

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 a 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.augustachronicle.com/news/20201014/two-children-among-injured-in-school-bus-crash-in-aiken-county

https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/school-bus-safety#:~:text=The%20school%20bus%20is%20the,of%20all%20traffic%20fatalities%20nationwide.