4 students hurt in 3-vehicle crash involving Lancaster school bus

Four students were transported to a hospital as a precaution after a three-vehicle crash involving a Lancaster County school bus Monday morning, officials said.

The crash happened about 7:30 a.m. at S.C. 522 and Cannery Road, said Bryan Vaughn, director of safety and transportation for the Lancaster County school district. The bus had 24 students on it from Buford High School and Buford Middle School.

The bus driver was turning left onto Cannery Road but “misjudged” the distance of the turn, Vaughn said. A car approaching the bus clipped the back end of it and went into the oncoming lane, where it struck another vehicle head-on.

Four students were transported to area hospitals, Vaughn said. One student suffered a bruise to the head, but none of the injuries appeared to be serious.

School district officials contacted parents. The remaining students were taken to school on another bus, Vaughn said Monday morning.

There was no word on the other motorists involved. The crash remains under investigation by the S.C. Highway Patrol.

Vaughn said the driver has been with the school district since the early 2000s. If charges are filed, he said, the driver will be removed from the route while the case is adjudicated, which is protocol.

“He’s been a very good longtime driver,” Vaughn said.

This story was originally published November 23, 2015 at 9:34 AM with the headline "4 students hurt in 3-vehicle crash involving Lancaster school bus."