COCKE COUNTY, Tenn. — A Cocke County school bus was hit by a car Friday while on the way to school. The Tennessee Highway Patrol told 10News that there were no reported injuries. Since then, parents and other community members have said there were injuries.
Amber Norton's two daughters, Emberlee and Blazelyn, were on the bus. She said no one checked on any of the children.
"I think all the kids should have got dismissed. I think they should have called the parents. I think all of them should have went to the hospital just in case and I think matters would have been ok," Norton said.
She said she didn't learn about the crash until a friend told her. Norton said her daughters stayed in school all day. When they got home, she said they told her they were dizzy and had hit their heads.
Norton then took them to the emergency room where she was told both her daughters had concussions.
"An apology is not going to help matters at this point because, I mean, concussions — that's brain damage and that's unacceptable when it comes to my kids or anybody else's kids," Norton said.
Megan Akers' daughter, Harper, was also on the bus. It was her seventh birthday. Akers went to drop off treats for the party and was told nothing.
"Then I got a phone call around 12, maybe 12:30 p.m. telling me that my daughter was vomiting and to come and pick her up from school," Akers said. "Then my daughter comes up to me and says, 'Mommy, I'm sick from the bus crash.' And I was like, 'Bus crash?'"
She said her daughter was diagnosed with postconcussive syndrome.
"She's still sick to her stomach. She gets dizzy here and there," Akers said.
Both moms said the school didn't do enough.
Cocke County Schools safety supervisors told 10News it was an unintentional oversight. They had sent a message internally that was not relayed to parents. They said minor incidents are common and they rely on first responders for information.
THP told 10News that the responding officer did not note any injuries and they can't speculate on whether injuries would have appeared later.