By Shannon McFarlin WENK/WTPR News Director
Paris, Tenn.—Four students were transported to the Henry Co. Medical Center after a county school bus landed on its side early this morning while transporting students to Henry and Grove Schools.
Henry Co. Director of Schools Dr. Brian Norton said two of the students were transported by the ambulance and two were transported to the hospital later by their parents.
He said the injuries appeared to be relatively minor “and we’re grateful for that.”
The accident occurred around 6:50 a.m. today on Jones Bend Road. Sheriff Monte Belew said the bus driver said he was blinded by sunlight coming through the windshield and drove off the right shoulder of the road.
Belew said EMS personnel looked over every child on the bus as well as the bus driver after the accident.
At the scene this morning were Dr. Norton, Henry Schools Principal David Kibbler, County School Bus Superintendent Lynn Brown. Brown brought another bus to the scene to transport the children.
Belew said the first law enforcement officer at the scene was Sgt. Rodney Littleton, who is the School Resource Officer for Henry Schools.
Norton said the children evacuated the bus through the two openings at the top of the bus. “They carried out the evacuation procedures that we practice with them impeccably,” he said.
Norton said, “We’re so thankful that the injuries were all relatively minor and we send our thanks to the law enforcement who were at the scene and the parents who arrived. We just hope and pray there will be no more accidents.”
The accident “was a traumatic incident for the children and their parents and we’re just thankful there were no more injuries than there were,” Belew said.
The school bus was pulled off its side and the roadway cleared by 8:44 a.m.
Top photo by Christi Cross. Bottom photo by Lenny Schmid.
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