CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The National Transportation Safety Board has released a preliminary report on the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System bus crash that killed two Kenwood Middle School students, confirming that the bus crossed the centerline.
On Friday, March 27, about 11:35 a.m., a 2024 Blue Bird Conventional Type C school bus operated by CMCSS was traveling west on US Highway 70 between Cedar Grove and Huntingdon in Carroll County, Tennessee, the NTSB report said.
The school bus was occupied by a driver, four adult chaperones, and 24 student passengers. The bus was taking students from Kenwood Middle to a school event in Jackson.
At the same time, a 2013 International WorkStar dump truck, operated by the Tennessee Department of Transportation, and a 2024 Chevrolet Trailblazer sport utility vehicle were traveling east on US-70. The dump truck and the SUV each were occupied by a driver and one passenger, the report said.
“As the vehicles approached each other, the school bus crossed the centerline of the roadway and entered the eastbound travel lane,” the NTSB said. “The left side of the school bus struck the left side of the dump truck in a sideswipe collision. After impacting the dump truck, the school bus collided with the SUV, departed the roadway to the south, and came to rest facing down the roadside embankment but remained upright.”
This confirms what is shown in dash cam video released by parents who were following the bus.
Two eighth-grade students were killed – Zoe Davis and Arianna Pearson. The school bus driver sustained serious injuries, and the remaining bus passengers sustained injuries ranging from minor to serious. The two occupants of the dump truck sustained serious injuries. The occupants of the SUV were uninjured, the report said.
The weather was clear and the roadway was dry. At this location, US-70 was a two-lane roadway with one eastbound lane and one westbound lane. The speed limit was 55 mph.
“All aspects of the crash remain under investigation while the NTSB determines the probable cause, with the intent of issuing safety recommendations to prevent similar events,” the report said.
| PREVIOUSLY:
- Family of girl killed in school bus crash files lawsuit against CMCSS, bus driver
- T-shirt fundraiser for Kenwood Middle families under way from Education Foundation, Q108
- Parent describes moments before, after school bus crash
- ‘My heart is heavy’: Mourners gather in vigil for students killed in bus crash | PHOTOS
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