PRESTONSBURG, Ky. — A documentary on one of the worst school bus crashes in U.S. history will premiere in February in Prestonsburg, where the tragedy took place more than 50 years ago.

In the 1958 accident, 27 students and their bus driver were killed when the bus struck a wrecker truck and plunged into the Big Sandy River. Twenty-two children were able to escape, but the others drowned in the raging, icy floodwaters.

The bus was swept downstream and submerged. It took rescue workers two days to find and remove it from the river.

The documentary, The Very Worst Thing, features interviews with people affected by the tragedy, including a survivor of the accident, friends and family of several victims, and emergency personnel who responded. The film also includes original pictures from the scene of the accident.

“It’s a story about finding strength during the most difficult of circumstances,” the documentary’s Website says.

The Very Worst Thing is slated to appear nationally at film festivals beginning in spring 2010.

The film’s trailer can be viewed below. For more information, go to www.theveryworstthing.com. For tickets to the Feb. 19 premiere, click here.