A school bus carrying six students from Spring Branch ISD overturned during a collision in northwest Houston yesterday afternoon. The incident took place at around 3:55 p.m. in the 1400 block of Silber Road at Westview, as reported by Click2Houston. The students aboard the bus ranged in age from 11 to 17.
Chief Larry Baimbridge of the Spring Branch ISD Police Department detailed that the bus was eastbound on Westview Drive and entered the intersection on Silber when a southbound vehicle struck it. "The bus took out a light pole, hit a curb and flipped on its side," Baimbridge explained according to KHOU. It is currently unclear if the students were wearing seatbelts during the crash.
Local authorities stated that one student was transported to Texas Children’s Hospital with minor injuries, while the others on board were examined for possible bumps and bruises. Additionally, the driver of the other vehicle involved in the collision was hospitalized, but their condition has not yet been disclosed. The bus driver and the remaining students safely exited the damaged bus through the rear emergency door.
While no charges have been issued in connection with the accident, police will be reviewing bus camera footage to ascertain the exact circumstances of the crash. Despite the severity of the accident, "No kids were ejected and they were able to get out of the bus through the rear emergency door," as one student described the harrowing event in a statement obtained by KHOU.
Spring Branch ISD has publicly expressed gratitude for the safe evacuation of the students and the bus driver. In a statement released by the school district and shared by local media, they said, "Spring Branch ISD is grateful that the six students and driver on Bus 19 who were involved in an accident near Silber and Westview are safely off the bus and being checked out by EMS personnel at the scene. At this time, we believe one student may have sustained an injury to their wrist," as mentioned by KHOU.
