DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Fifteen students were transported to a local hospital after a car crashed into a school bus in DeKalb County Tuesday afternoon.
The incident happened at the intersection of Pleasantdale Road and Lynnray Drive in DeKalb County around 2:40 p.m.
Capt. Jackson, with DeKalb Fire & Rescue, told
[ Channel 2's Nefertiti Jaquez ]
and
[ Aaron Diamant ]
the crash involved bus number 1594 of Pleasantdale Elementary School. %
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The driver of the car was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
“All I heard was a boom and I saw smoke coming out of nowhere,” said Mya Matlock, who was on the bus at the time.
Witnesses say the car appeared to be speeding when it crashed into the side of the bus, which was making a left turn.
“The guy and the car left a half a pound of rubber on the road trying to stop so that means he was flying,” neighbor Carmen Witkoski said.
Parents frantically rushed to the site when they heard about the crash.
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"You're working and you get a call. You think they’re injured, but I'm glad that they're OK. They're just scared,” mom Dolce Bahena said.
DeKalb Fire & Rescue and AMR Ambulance transported approximately 15 children from the damaged bus to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston in a different school bus.
It was just a precautionary measure per the parents' request, according to authorities. All the kids were evaluated and released.
There were approximately 60 students on the bus at the time of the crash.
The remaining students were picked up by parents or transported by school bus to their apartment complex, Forest Cove Apartments, which is approximately 1 mile from the accident site.
Witkoski says the accident could have been prevented if there had been a traffic light there.
“It's dangerous, and people need to stop and slow down,” she said.
Police say this case is still under investigation. They tell us they're processing the evidence from the scene and the data box from the car.
There is no word on the driver's identity or if he'll face any charges.