On Tuesday morning, there was a wreck involving an activity bus in Jackson County. According to WLOS ABC News Channel 13, the incident happened at 74 Crawford Cemetery Road in Sylva, near the intersection of U.S. 74 (Great Smoky Mountains Expressway). Very few details have been released about this bus crash, but we do know that the activity bus was transporting a Graham County School District volleyball team at the time of the wreck. Initial reports indicate that the driver apparently passed out behind the wheel. The bus crashed into the median guardrail of the roadway.
Activity Bus Crash in Sylva
Thankfully, no serious injuries were reported on the scene. The volleyball team was taken to a nearby church, to wait for parents or other school staff to take them home. No information has been released about the condition of the bus driver, and there has been no word on what caused that person to pass out behind the wheel. This incident is likely still under investigation with local law enforcement officials.
School Transportation Related Crash Facts
From 2005 to 2014, there were 1,332 people of all ages killed in school-transportation-related crashes.
On average, there were 133 fatalities per year.
From 2005 to 2014, there were 304 school-age children who died in school-transportation-related crashes.
53 were occupants of the school transportation vehicles.
130 were occupants in other vehicles.
111 were pedestrians, nine were cyclists and one was a non-occupant.
More school-age pedestrians were killed from 7 to 8 a.m. and from 3 to 4 p.m. than any other hours of the day.
School Bus Safety in Asheville
Although school buses are the statistically safest way to transport children to and from school, they’re not without risk. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has a variety of tips for motorists to improve safety for children on school buses and at bus stops. Parents are also encouraged to talk to their children about school bus safety, and how to improve safety at the bus stop.
If your child has been injured in a bus accident in Asheville or in any of the nearby Western North Carolina communities, contact the skilled and proven team at Davis Law Group, P.A. at 828-303-2842 for a free case consultation today.