Calhoun County Rollover School Bus Crash Leaves Students Injured
A 54-year-old Arnoldsburg man is facing multiple criminal charges after the school bus driver was involved in a rollover crash while transporting multiple children presumably to their Calhoun County homes on Monday evening, March 4, right around 6 p.m. The accident, which occurred in Mt. Zion along State Route 16, reportedly sent an estimated 15 Calhoun County Middle School kids suffering from varying degrees of injuries to nearby hospital emergency rooms.
How the School Transportation Vehicle Crash in Mt. Zion, WV, Unfolded
In speaking with eyewitnesses, investigators learned that the bus was traveling south along Route 16, away from the middle school, when it suddenly traveled off the highway. Those same witnesses reported seeing the bus operator attempt to regain control of their vehicle, but they acknowledged that he appeared to overcorrect as he attempted to do so. This led to skidding, ultimately causing the vehicle to come to rest on its side.
What Investigators Have Determined About the Cause of Accident So Far
Various law enforcement agencies, including the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department and West Virginia State Police, immediately launched an investigation into the cause of the accident upon arriving at the crash scene as firefighters and EMS personnel worked quickly to assist students who were hurt.
Police quickly began to suspect that the bus driver was intoxicated. Thus, soon after that, they took him into custody, charging him with three counts of DUI causing injury and three other child neglect offenses. The aggravated “DUI causing injury” and neglect charges stem from the fact that the operator of the bus left at least 15 of the juveniles on his bus with non-life-threatening injuries.
The arrested driver is currently being held on a $250,000 bail at the Central Regional Jail in Sutton, in Braxton County, just over 43 miles southeast of the Calhoun County school bus accident site.
School Bus Accident Statistics
According to the National Safety Council (NSC), 9,700 injuries and 108 fatalities resulted from school bus-involved crashes in 2021. While 70% of those crashes injured someone other than one of the bus occupants, at least 5% are cited as affecting students or adults onboard.
Since buses like these don’t often come equipped with seat belts, the chances of a child suffering catastrophic injuries when these crashes occur are high. Some of the most commonly suffered injuries include blunt force trauma resulting in:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Internal organ damage
- Spinal cord injuries and residual paralysis
- Broken bones and potential amputations
Getting Help After Your Child Was Hurt While Riding a School Bus
Here at Hendrickson & Long, PLLC, we sincerely hope that a day when your child suffers serious injuries or loses their life in a preventable accident never comes. As a legal team that works closely with parents of crash victims like these, we would never want to see anyone suffer that degree of pain or grief — ever.
We do want you to know, though, that we are here for you if an unfortunate set of circumstances has transpired that leaves you needing legal assistance to ensure those liable for harming your child are held accountable for doing so. We regularly handle personal injury cases in Charleston and throughout West Virginia, including ones like these that occur in Mt. Zion and other parts of Calhoun County.
Reach out to our firm for skilled, competent guidance if you’re considering filing a lawsuit so we can go over your rights and how to best build a strong claim that demands the highest possible compensation for accident-related expenses like medical bills, funeral and burial costs, and more.
