In Goldsboro, North Carolina, a school bus taking students from a charter school collided with a bridge, injuring six students, according to local authorities. The bus driver was taken to a hospital by air, WRAL reported.
According to initial reports, the bus veered off course and struck the bridge structure. The crash caused significant damage to the front of the vehicle. Images and videos circulating online show the bus lodged against the bridge with its front and end heavily crumpled.
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What happened during the crash?
According to City Councilwoman Brandi Matthews, the single-vehicle collision occurred at the bridge along North Carolina Street and West Vine Street in Goldsboro, approximately 50 miles southeast of Raleigh, on Thursday at around 4pm.
When the bus crashed, there were two adults and nine children on board. According to authorities, the bus was dropping students home from Dillard Charter Academy.
Officials stated that six students sustained injuries in the crash, though none were believed to be life-threatening. The injured children were transported to UNC Health Wayne for evaluation and treatment.
The bus monitor was on board when the driver was evacuated to ECU Health Medical Center in Greenville, but officials could not immediately state whether the monitor was hurt.
Emergency responders, including firefighters and paramedics, were reported to be present at the scene within minutes.
It’s unclear if it was the bus’s usual route. Witnesses along Carolina and Vine streets claim that the speed limit is 25 mph. The bus seemed to be moving twice as quickly, according to neighbors who spoke to WRAL News.
Another neighbor stated that she has witnessed multiple U-Haul moving trucks collide with the bridge and that this is not the first time a big vehicle has crashed there.
The neighbor told the local news outlet, “some drivers don’t see the signs that are posted,” she stated that she would want to see signage, indicating the bridge’s height, placed on the bridge itself. The bridge is only 7’6″ tall, according to Google Maps images.
