CARROLL COUNTY, Tenn. (WZTV) — Two middle school students were killed and several others injured in a multi-vehicle collision involving a school bus on March 27.
According to investigators, the crash occurred around 11:35 a.m. on U.S. Highway 70, between Cedar Grove and Huntingdon. A bus from the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System was transporting 24 students, four chaperones, and a driver westbound when it crossed the centerline.
The bus sideswiped a dump truck operated by the Tennessee Department of Transportation and subsequently collided with a sport utility vehicle traveling eastbound. The bus left the roadway and came to rest upright down an embankment.
Authorities confirmed that two students on the bus died, while the driver and several passengers sustained injuries ranging from minor to serious. The two individuals in the dump truck were seriously injured; however, the SUV‘s occupants were unharmed.
Clear weather and dry road conditions were reported at the time of the incident. The highway is a two-lane road with a posted speed limit of 55 mph.
Records indicate the bus driver, Sabrina Ducksworth, had no prior disciplinary history and a clean accident record over multiple evaluations. While family members suggested she may have faced a medical event, this remains unconfirmed.
The National Transportation Safety Board is conducting the investigation, in coordination with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Tennessee Highway Patrol, to determine the crash's cause and recommend safety measures.
The NTSB noted that its findings are preliminary and may change as the investigation continues.