CLAYTON – Several Cleveland High School students were injured Monday afternoon when their bus overturned. The accident was reported around 2:30pm on Polenta Road near Colson Ridge Drive, less than a mile from the school campus.
Bus number 484, assigned to Cleveland High School, was on its afternoon route when it overturned partially off the roadway. Officials said 24 students and the driver were on board. No other vehicles were involved.
Johnston County Emergency Services said 11 students and the bus driver were transported to area hospitals with non-life threatening injuries.
Students who were uninjured were transported to Cleveland High where they were met by their parents. The last student was picked up by their parent around 4:00pm.
Multiple EMS units from Johnston and Wake counties responded to the accident. A detour was set up around the accident site. The roadway reopened just before 6:00pm.
The Cleveland, 50-210, and Clayton Fire Departments responded to assist.
Johnston Health confirmed EMS transported four students to JMC-Smithfield and six students to JMC-Clayton. Parents also brought a few additional students to emergency departments for evaluation and treatment, which could increase the total number of injuries.
Monday night, the Highway Patrol said the bus driver was charged with failure to maintain lane control.
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This story has been updated.
Prayers for all those involved. Thankful it wasn’t worse and all have non life threatening injuries.
This is what happens when you have people without CDLs drive buses. Glad the driver and kids are okay (mostly), but come on…are we that short on common sense?
Where does it say the driver doesn’t have a CDL?
As a former bus driver you are trained by certified instrutors thru the county. They just dont hire you without training to drive a bus. Get your facts straight Brett. I also hold CDL’S as well and I drove a bus in high school before they switched it to adults.
Thank you to all the first responders! Thank God it was not worse.
Amen Jen. I know how it is to be a bus driver.
My son was One of the students that was on that bus thank God that all of the kids are OK and pray the bus driver is OK. I hope they do a thorough investigation.
Mr. Brett. All bus drivers have to hold a valid CDL License and take drug test and have a medical examination done. This is coming from a bus driver. Would you like to get your CDL’S and come join the rest of us bus drivers. It’s NOT AS EASY AS YOU THINK.
JUST SAYING
CDL’s when they pay what? $20/hour? I think not!
When I was a kid the buses were driven by high school students. Our driver was fun but he took no crap. One day a fight broke out and he told them both to get off the bus and drove off and left them. The kids walked the rest of the way home, a couple of miles maybe, but they behaved after that.
North Carolina requirements for driving a school bus.
https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/license-id/driver-licenses/school-bus/Pages/default.aspx#:~:text=To%20operate%20a%20school%20bus,P%22%20(passenger)%20endorsements.