GREENE COUNTY, Tenn. — Crews responded to a school bus crash in Greene County on Tuesday that thankfully did not severely hurt any of the 27 children on board.
According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the bus was driving around a corner on Brittontown Road around 3:45 p.m. when its front-right tire went off the road and into a ditch, causing the bus to go down on its side.
The bus was transporting children from three schools — Bailyton Elementary, North Greene High School, and North Greene Middle School.
TJ Mannis, the Operations Manager of Greene County EMS, said some children were transported to the hospital with minor injuries after the crash. Many had already been checked out of the hospital by 6:30 p.m. to ensure they didn't have any serious injuries, according to David McClain, the Greene County Director of Schools. A reunification site was also set up nearby for families of children who were unharmed.
The bus driver was a licensed teacher who was filling in amid a regional shortage of drivers, officials said. McClain said that a notification about the crash was sent about as soon as possible alerting principals and parents with children involved.
Several other school systems, such as Grainger and Sevier counties, have turned to licensed substitutes to fill in the gaps and keep schools open as they work to find drivers in the long-term.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.