Local
One student remains hospitalized after Salem High bus crash in Conyers
A school bus carrying members of Salem High School’s football program overturned Friday night after striking a car near I-20 and Highway 138. The district said Saturday that one student remained hospitalized and everyone else had been released.
One Salem High School student remained hospitalized Saturday after a bus carrying the school’s football players and staff overturned in Conyers, Rockdale County Public Schools said. Everyone else involved, including a student who was airlifted from the scene, had been released, the district said in an update shortly after 1:30 p.m.
The crash happened shortly before 11 p.m. Friday at Highway 138 and Interstate 20 as the group returned from a game against Greater Atlanta Christian School in Norcross. The bus carried 17 athletes, seven trainers, two coaches and a driver, according to the district. RCPS said 22 students and three staff members went to area hospitals.
The Georgia State Patrol said the bus driver, 74-year-old Walter Hackett of Conyers, was leaving eastbound I-20 and attempting to turn right onto Highway 138 when he lost control. The bus crossed both directions of the highway, struck a Kia Soul, spun around and overturned on the shoulder, according to state police.
Hackett and the Kia’s driver, 35-year-old Calvin Harling of Covington, were taken to hospitals. Students and staff were treated at several facilities, including Arthur Blank Children’s Hospital, Scottish Rite, Grady Memorial and hospitals in the Piedmont system. Some students were taken by ambulance; others were driven by parents, state police said.
The district has not released details about the injuries, citing student and family privacy. Superintendent Stephanie Johnson said the school system was grateful there were no fatalities and that many had been treated and released. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.