Child killed, at least 20 others injured after school bus crash in Ohio
One child is dead and more than 20 others were injured after a crash involving a school bus in Clark County, Ohio, on the district's first day of school.
The school bus collided with a Honda at around 8:15 a.m. local time, officials said at a news conference. There were 53 people aboard the bus, including the driver.
In a news release, the Ohio State Highway Patrol said the bus was traveling westbound and was struck by a 2010 Honda Odyssey minivan that was traveling eastbound and "went left of center." The bus "subsequently went off the right side of the roadway and overturned as a result of the crash."
Dayton Children's Hospital confirmed to CBS News they received 22 patients from the crash. Some were transferred by ambulance, while others were brought by their parents, the hospital said. In a news release, officials said 22 children were hospitalized, one with serious injuries.
The student who died was ejected from the bus and succumbed to fatal injuries at the scene, officials said.
The bus did not have seatbelts, officials said. Only eight states require seatbelts on school buses. Ohio is not one of them.
The Honda was driven by Hermanio Joseph, 35, and a passenger in the car was identified as Roberto Mompremier, 37, officials said. Both men were transported to Springfield Regional Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.
On Wednesday, Joseph was charged with one count of felony vehicular homicide, according to charging documents reviewed by CBS News. Court records describe the charge as a fourth-degree felony. According to Ohio law, vehicular homicide is typically charged as a misdemeanor, except in situations where the person charged did not have a valid driver's license or had had their license suspended. The charging document did not confirm whether Joseph had a license at the time of the crash.
The bus driver, identified as 68-year-old Alfred E. Collier, suffered minor injuries but was not taken to a hospital, officials said.
The crash remains under investigation.
A parent reunification center was established at a local firehouse, the district said. School officials said parents would be contacted if their children had been involved.
Nearly all of the injured children had been released from the hospital by Tuesday night.
"After it happened, I'd seen [the bus] on its side. They were putting kids on stretchers," Skylar Bowen told CBS News. "They had, like, leg braces, neck braces and stuff like that. It's not something that you would want to prepare yourself for."
Tuesday is the district's first day of school, according to its website. The school said on Facebook classes will be dismissed at the "usual times," but warned that bus drop off times are expected "to be off this afternoon."
— Nancy Chen contributed reporting.
