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SEARCHA 5-year-old girl dies and more than 20 students are injured when their bus runs off the road and hits a tree, authorities say.
LIBERTY COUNTY, Ga. — A 5-year-old girl was killed in a school bus crash here on Tuesday morning.
The bus in the single-vehicle crash is from Liberty County School System in southeastern Georgia. Patti Crane, the district’s chief academic officer, confirmed that the accident resulted in one student fatality.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the student’s family in their time of grief,” Crane said in a press release.
The school bus driver and the other student passengers were transported to local hospitals, Crane added.
An official with the Liberty County Emergency Management Agency told WJCL that more than 20 students were injured.
The Georgia State Patrol is investigating the crash. In a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the law enforcement agency said that the school bus driver lost control, ran off the road and into a ditch, and hit a tree.
“Upon impact, the roof of the bus caved in on the occupants,” the Georgia State Patrol told the newspaper.
WJCL reported that the 5-year-old student who died was sitting in the front right area of the bus, which sustained the strongest impact in the crash.
Crane, the Liberty County School System official, said that grief counselors have been made available to all students and staff.
“The Liberty County School System asks the community to join them in continued thoughts, prayers, and support for all individuals affected by today’s accident,” Crane added.
Rep. Buddy Carter, a U.S. congressman from Georgia, addressed the Liberty County crash on Twitter:
As a father and grandfather, my heart mourns with the parents and family that lost their child today. I hope for a quick and healthy recovery for those injured in the accident. https://t.co/ZFcYvQGrsn
— Buddy Carter (@RepBuddyCarter) December 5, 2017
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