School Bus Overturns in North Carolina, Dozens Hurt

LEXINGTON, N.C. --

Twenty-three students and a bus driver were injured Friday afternoon in a school bus crash along Conrad Hill Mine Road at Robert Beck Road, Davidson County School System officials said.

The crash happened at about 3:30 p.m.

School system spokesman Fred Mock said it appeared the bus driver ran off the side of the road and overcorrected, causing the bus to overturn in a ditch.

Middle schooler Josh Grant was the first student to make it out of the bus. He told WXII that he opened the emergency hatch and began helping other students make is safely out of the bus.

Stacy Gabriel was one of the first parents to arrive at the scene.

"The kids were pretty shaken up. There were several that were crying. There were some that were trying to text parents to let them know what had happened," Gabriel said. "We saw cuts and bruises and a couple that looked more serious. One girl's eye was already swollen shut. But there was nothing major, so we were glad to see that."

The students, from Central Davidson High School and Central Davidson Middle School, were taken to Lexington Memorial Hospital and Thomasville Medical Center to be treated for injuries that were described as minor, officials said.

Mock said the driver, who wasn't named, had been driving school buses for several years.

There was no immediate word on if charges will be filed. North Carolina Highway Patrol troopers are handling the investigation into the crash.

Copyright 2011 by WXII12.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.