BULLITT COUNTY, Ky. (WDRB) — A Bullitt County Public Schools bus driver attempted to avoid an oncoming truck Monday that was traveling near the center of the road. The driver veered off the pavement, and the bus flipped over.
Fourteen people were hospitalized after the bus, carrying 28 Lebanon Junction Elementary students, crashed.
"The bus driver dodged it and the bus was tipping... then went off the road and just flipped," said Samuel Quentin, a fifth-grade student who was aboard. "The bus flipped and I was on the ground. My friends fell on me."
None of the injuries to the students or the driver were life-threatening. By Tuesday morning, some students had already returned to class, where the district had positioned guidance counselors to assist.
"Our number one priority right now is to ensure students are safe and emotionally supported," Superintendent Dr. Jesse Bacon said. "We are just going to do everything we possibly can to take care of them."
Neighbors in the rural Bullitt County area noted that the narrow roads and blind corners have long posed safety hazards.
"This obviously really should be a one-lane road," local resident Sierra Holcomb said. "We have trouble with cars coming by, speeding, passing... there's been several times we've been run off the road."
Bacon acknowledged the physical constraints of the area. He said that "infrastructure challenges are really difficult to address" in rural communities.
The Bullitt County Sheriff's Office is actively investigating the crash. Residents urged drivers to slow down and stay in their lanes to prevent future incidents.
"Take your time, it's not worth it," Holcomb said. "I'd much rather be late than potentially cause somebody injuries."
School district officials plan to hold an after-action review with emergency responders to analyze the rescue operation.
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