According to eastern Kentucky authorities, a school bus full of students crashed in a rural area sending the driver and 18 students to the hospital with injuries ranging from minor to severe.
Kentucky State Trooper Michael Coleman said the bus was exiting state Route 40 near Salyersville on Monday morning when it went over an embankment and flipped onto its side. He added that no other vehicles were involved in the crash.
Salyersville Fire Chief Paul Howard said when first responders first arrived on the scene, some of the students had already climbed out of the bus and up the embankment. Other students were helped up the hill with ropes and carried in baskets.
Gov. Andy Beshear also released a tweet saying that Kentucky State Police were on the scene and that authorities were responding swiftly.
On Tuesday, Superintendent Chris Meadows of Magoffin County Schools said the students on the bus ranged from elementary age through high school and three of them had to be airlifted to a hospital.
Out of the 18 students that went to the hospital, 11 of them have been treated and released while the remaining students and bus driver are still in the hospital with varying injuries.
WLWT reported, “All of these families, these students and this driver, they are in our thoughts and prayers,” according to Superintendent Meadows, adding that the school district has been following up with families and doing everything possible to help them.
State Trooper Coleman also added that, “We’re really in the beginning stages of the investigation,” because it is not immediately clear what caused the crash.
However, the road was shut down for several hours while first responders help clean up the mess and authorities are discussing the possibility of a guard rail being placed in the spot where the crash happened.