Kids, driver hurt after school bus overturns in Virginia

Twelve children and a driver were injured Monday after a school bus overturned in Virginia.

City of Suffolk spokesperson Jennifer Moore said the crash happened around 9:30 a.m. as the bus was headed to Southwestern Elementary School, according to WAVY-TV.

The injured children and the driver were all transported to a local hospital with minor injuries and were expected to fully recover.

“I heard a very loud noise. When I looked out, I just saw the bus flip over and she slid a pretty good ways, and then ended up in the ditch,” witness Lauren Violette told WAVY-TV.

She said she ran to the scene to try and help.

“I was running down the driveway, all I heard was screams. They wanted their moms and dads, they were very shook up,” Violette added.

She told 13 News Now one of the children kicked out the emergency windows on the bus, allowing the kids to exit safely despite their injuries.

“Once we got to the bus, it was just, yeah, very scary,” Violette said. “They were all so brave and they were all hugging each other and letting each other know that they were going to be okay.”

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, but Violette noted drivers often speed in the area.

The road was closed for several hours but reopened Monday afternoon.

Suffolk is a small city in southeastern Virginia, about 20 miles from Norfolk.

A number of crashes involving school buses have occurred already this school year, including in Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York.