A high school football team’s trip home turned into a nightmare Friday night when their school bus collided with a car, veered off a Georgia highway and nearly completed a full rotation before landing on its side, sending 25 students and adults to hospitals.
The frightening crash unfolded around 10:48 p.m. on October 23 in Rockdale County, just outside Atlanta, as members of Salem High School’s football program returned from an away game against Greater Atlanta Christian School.
According to the Georgia State Patrol, the 74-year-old bus driver was exiting Interstate 20 and attempting to turn right onto Highway 138 when he lost control. The bus crossed both the southbound and northbound lanes before colliding with a black Kia Soul driven by a 35-year-old man.
The impact sent the bus off the roadway, where it rolled nearly 360 degrees before coming to rest on its passenger side.
A witness at a nearby gas station told WSB-TV that she heard a loud boom and turned around to discover the overturned bus.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene as authorities worked to account for everyone aboard. The bus had been carrying 27 people, including 17 football players, seven athletic trainers, two coaches and the driver.
School officials confirmed that 22 students and three adults were transported for medical treatment. One student was airlifted to a hospital, while others were transported by ambulance or taken by their parents. Both the bus driver and the driver of the Kia were also hospitalized.
Despite the severity of the rollover, authorities confirmed that nobody was killed. By Saturday morning, many of those taken to hospitals had already been treated and released, although officials had not provided a complete breakdown of their injuries.
Rockdale County Public Schools Superintendent Stephanie Johnson said school officials visited multiple hospitals, including Grady Memorial and Piedmont Rockdale, to support injured students and their families.
“We are deeply grateful that there were no fatalities and that many have been treated and released,” the school district said in a statement.
The crash has shaken the Salem High School community, turning what should have been an ordinary ride home after a Friday night football game into an emergency involving students, coaches, parents and first responders.
Georgia State Patrol investigators are continuing to examine what caused the driver to lose control. No final determination has been announced.
For now, the school community is focused on the recovery of those injured and the relief that everyone survived the frightening ordeal.
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