A tractor-trailer struck a school bus full of children in Temple, Texas, flipping the bus onto its side and sending 32 people – 29 of them children – to the hospital. The bus accident happened on Farm-to-Market Road 93 on the outskirts of Temple, about 60 miles northeast of Austin. A hardware truck allegedly ran a stop sign and struck the Academy school district bus.
One 9-year-old boy was ejected through the escape hatch of the roof, and the bus driver was knocked unconscious.
The bus driver was in critical condition for several days after the accident, but his condition has been upgraded from critical to serious. The two other adults in the crash, including the truck driver, were treated and discharged. An eighth grade student was hospitalized for a broken back.
Academy school Superintendent Kevin Sprinkles said the injured students were expected to recover, although “they all face a long road” to recovery.
The bus was carrying about 38 children from all grade levels and was on its way to drop students off at the first of three school locations when the crash happened.
Christina Mendoza was driving to work when she came upon the accident and stopped to help. “There were a bunch of little ones all scraped up, and they were all alone,” she told the Temple Daily Telegram.
Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP – Motor Vehicle Accident Attorneys