Chattanooga, Tenn.
Chattanooga Police Chief Fred Fletcher said the crash was “every public safety professional’s worst nightmare.”
The bus was carrying 35 children from Woodmore Elementary, students in kindergarten through fifth grade, when it crashed about 3:30 p.m., turned on its side and wrapped around a tree.
Fletcher said police were interviewing the bus driver to determine what happened and told reporters later that investigators were looking at speed as a possible contributing factor. The bus was the only vehicle involved, he said.
Twenty-three students were taken to hospitals, Fletcher said. He did not have information about the extent of injuries. Media reported it took about two hours to get the last children off the bus.
