Chattanooga crash: School bus driver charged over crash that killed five children

Rashid Razaq22 November 2016

A school bus driver has been arrested and charged over a crash that killed five children and injured 23 more in the US state of Tennessee.

Five pupils died after the vehicle turned on its side and crashed into a tree in Chattanooga.

The bus was carrying 35 pupils from Woodmore Elementary aged from five to 11 when it crashed at about 3.30pm local time (8.30pm GMT) on Monday.

Chattanooga police Chief Fred Fletcher said the crash was “every public safety professional’s worst nightmare”. He added that investigators were looking at speed “very, very strongly” as a factor.

Charges: Johnthony Walker

Johnthony Walker, 24, has been charged with five counts of vehicular homicide, reckless endangerment and reckless driving. Additional charges could be added as the case proceeds to a grand jury.

Television images showed the bus mangled around a tree. No other vehicle was involved in the crash.

Police said 23 pupils were taken to hospital, but the extent of their injuries was unknown. Local media reported it took about two hours to get the last children off the bus.

Local residents rushed to donate blood, but the queues became so long that medics had to tell people to return today.

Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke asked concerned parents to go to the elementary school for information, and not the crash site.

Kirk Kelly, interim superintendent for Hamilton County schools, said classes would be held as normal, with counsellors available for pupils and staff.

Bus crash: the aftermath of the collision
EPA

Police said they would not identify the children who died, or their ages, until parents were notified.

“Our hearts go out, as well as the hearts of all these people behind me, to the families, the neighbourhood, the school, for all the people involved in this, we assure you we are doing everything we can,” Mr Fletcher said.

At the state capital in Nashville, Governor Bill Haslam called the crash “a tragic event” and offered assistance.

“We’re going to do everything we can to assist in any way,” he said. “It’s a sad situation any time there’s a school bus with children involved, which there is in this case.”

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