A school bus driver and a student from the Columbia-Brazoria Independent School District were airlifted to a hospital following a collision with a dump truck in Brazoria County, Texas, on Thursday morning. The incident occurred around 6:45 a.m. at a construction site located at the intersection of County Road 353 and Highway 36, while the bus was on its secondary route.
Initial reports from local news outlets suggested that the bus was carrying 21 students at the time of the accident. However, district officials later clarified that there were 34 students on board. All students, except for one who was injured, were evaluated and subsequently released to their parents or sent to school.
In the aftermath of the accident, the Texas Department of Transportation closed several lanes on Highway 36 from FM 522 to CR 354. The closure was necessary to facilitate the investigation and clean-up of the accident scene.
The Department of Public Safety officials indicated that the accident may have been caused by confusion over the stop and slow signs used by construction workers at the site. This confusion reportedly led the bus driver to misinterpret the flow of traffic. At the time of the collision, the dump truck was reportedly reversing, although the specifics of the incident remain unclear.
The school district has yet to release additional information regarding the incident. This accident comes just a week after another school bus, this one from the Fort Bend ISD, was hit by a driver in southwest Houston. Fortunately, that incident resulted in no injuries.
The Columbia-Brazoria Independent School District is likely to review its safety protocols in light of these incidents. The safety of students during their commute to and from school is a paramount concern for all school districts. It is hoped that these unfortunate incidents will lead to improved safety measures and protocols to prevent future accidents.