More than a dozen Charlotte students were sent to the hospital Wednesday (May 11) morning after their school bus was involved in a multi-car head-on collision with a dump truck. Now, police reports point to a possible cause of the crash.
The crash occurred around 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday as a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools bus was traveling on Sharonbrook Drive near the intersection of Sharon Road West and South Boulevard. Initial reports stated that there were 40 students on board at the time of the crash, but CMS confirmed there were only 15 students on the South Mecklenburg High School bus, per WCNC.
Fourteen students were injured and most were taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Two adults, the bus driver and the driver of the dump truck, were both hospitalized with serious injuries, while the driver of a third vehicle involved in the crash was not injured.
According to new reports from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, the driver of the dump truck reportedly told investigators that he fell asleep while driving, ultimately crossing over the center line and hitting both the bus and other vehicle, WCNC reports. No charges have been filed against the dump truck driver as of Thursday (May 12).