Students Home After Thursday Morning Bus Crash

CLEVELAND, Tennessee (WDEF)- An accident this morning involving two North Whitfield Middle School buses in Bradley county sent 18 students and 6 staff members to the hospital.

The two school buses were following each other on the way to a field trip.

According to Whitfield County schools, a tanker truck on APD 40 made an abrupt stop at the intersection of Westland Drive.

Mike Ewton, the Assistant Superintendent from Whitfield County says, “The first bus was able to stop before hitting the tractor trailer. The second bus then hit the first bus. So, that’s essentially how that happened. It was kind of a chain reaction of quick breaking.”

36 people were on board both of those buses. 17 students and 5 staff members were sent to Tennova medical Center in Cleveland.

1 Adult and one student and were transported to Erlanger Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The Assistant superintendent says that when he got the phone call, he knew that it was bad.

Ewton also says, “A lot of times, a bus accident is something as simple as hitting a mailbox or a tree limb or something minor. Whenever you ask that question and they say “I don’t know,” then our anxiety goes up a little bit.”

Whitfield County Schools says that both bus drivers have many years of experience.

Ewton says, “One of them has been there a very long time. The other was new to us and just joined us this year. But, he has a very long driving history. Commercial driving, safe driving history. He’s been through our training and our safety training far exceeds the state requirement in Georgia.”

The biggest complaint after the accident…

Larry Farner, who is the North Whitfield Principal says, “Soreness, necks and some facial injuries. I think the threat of some concussions maybe when they hit the front of the seat But it was minor when it comes to that, so, it was mainly soreness.”

According to officials, all students and staff have been released from both hospitals.

Due to the circumstances, The driver of the second bus was not cited.