Parent concerned after incident where MCSS bus carrying students ran off-road
OWNENS CROSS ROADS, Ala. (WHNT) — A parent of two Owens Cross Roads School students said an incident involving a bus happened right outside his door Monday morning just after 7 a.m.
News 19 obtained the footage, which was caught on a Ring doorbell on Cave Spring Road Monday morning. The same family whose Ring camera caught the bus accident had two children on that bus. The children’s father said he notified the school about the accident and sent them the video.
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You can see the school bus traveling down the roadway, however, toward the end of the street, you see the bus hit some sort of obstruction on the side of the road.
The Madison County Schools System (MCSS) told News 19 that a bus transporting students from Owens Cross Roads School (OCRS) and New Hope Elementary School (NHES) briefly deviated from the roadway that morning.
“At the time, the bus was carrying 21 students. Although the bus swiftly returned to its intended path, the sudden movement caused some students to leave their seats momentarily,” MCSS said.
The father who spoke to News 19 said he estimated 25 or more kids were on the bus. He said a Life360 notification from his son’s phone alerted them that he was nearby, and that’s what led him to check the ring camera.
His son told him kids were bounced up and out of their seats and his cell phone went flying. The bus stopped for a few minutes after it went off the road, but then drove the roughly 3 miles to Owens Cross Roads School.
The father said he needs more information from the school system about the accident and he is concerned by the slow response in checking the children’s injuries.
News 19 also obtained an email sent to parents by Adam Hampton, the principal at Owens Cross Roads School, that was sent later in the day.
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According to the email, the bus’ “movement caused some students to leave their seats.” It goes on to say that despite the incident, the bus driver continued their route to the school. The email encouraged parents who had students aboard bus “18-10” to come to the school to assess whether additional medical attention was necessary.
The principal says administrators reviewed the video and requested medical attention for the students onboard by HEMSI and the school nurse.
“When the scope of the incident was realized upon the students’ arrival at OCRS, MCSS nursing staff and HEMSI assessed the students and notified their parents. We understand that two students were transported to an area hospital by their parent or guardian to be checked. MCSS was also notified that one student was taken by their parent or guardian to a personal medical doctor to be checked. Due to HIPAA regulations, MCSS cannot comment on their medical diagnosis,” MCSS said.
The school system said its transportation department informed ALEA State Troopers and the Madison County Sheriff’s Office about the incident.
In a statement to News 19, MCSS said, “Since there was no crash, as generally defined by ALEA, they will collect our summary narrative when an internal investigation is complete and put it into their final incident report. With that, MCSS is still gathering information pertaining to the incident.”
An MCSS spokesperson said the driver’s status is pending disciplinary review by the board of education.
MCSS provided News 19 with the following statement for the community following our inquiry:
“At MCSS, caring for the safety of our students as they travel to and from school is paramount. With over 10,000 students relying on us each day, we hold a steadfast commitment to ensuring their well-being. We leave no stone unturned in our efforts to provide secure transportation for every student entrusted to our care.”
Stay connected with News 19 as we will update the story as we learn more.
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