This story has been updated.
Five Scobee Middle School students and a bus driver were hospitalized for injuries sustained when an 18-wheeler crashed into the Southwest ISD school bus Wednesday afternoon, SAPD said Thursday.
The crash happened around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at U.S. Highway 90 and Loop 1604, and involved one Southwest ISD school bus carrying 20 students and a tractor-trailer carrying gravel, said Joe Arrington, spokesman for the San Antonio Fire Department, which dispatched six units to the scene.
“The driver of the 18-wheeler was found to be at fault, for disregarding a stop-and-go signal,” said Washington Moscoso, spokesman for the San Antonio Police Department.
Moscoco could not confirm if speeding was involved.
Those hospitalized had minor injuries, he said. As of Thursday morning, it is unclear if they were admitted or released.
No other vehicles were involved in the crash, Arrington said.
Southwest ISD Chief Communications Officer Jenny Collier said parents picked up the students who weren’t transported to the hospital at the location where the crash occurred once they got off the bus.
“The rest of the students were checked out, assessed medically on scene and released to their parents,” Collier said.
Several school resource officers and nurses were dispatched to the scene, since it was near campus, she added.
In a letter sent to parents Wednesday after the accident, Southwest ISD said “we understand the concern that this event may raise, and the safety of our students and staff remains our top priority. We will continue to ensure that all appropriate safety measures and protocols are in place to protect our students while in our care.”
Collier said the district will offer counseling and support services to students and affected families.
“You saw the bus. It looked so … ” Collier said. “We were very fortunate.”
