Texas Church Bus Carrying 13 Kids, 3 Adults Topples And Lands On Its Side

KEY POINTS

The church bus was driven by a 42-year-old volunteer
He will no longer be allowed to drive for the church
No charges were brought against him immediately

A small bus carrying several adults and children belonging to a church group overturned in Texas, Sunday afternoon.

A total of 16 people, including 13 children and three adults, were injured and rushed to the hospital following the crash.

Deputies with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office responded to the accident site at an apartment complex located at 90 Uvalde Road in Harris County. The scene was “very chaotic when units arrived,” Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said, as per ABC13.

The bus belonged to the Mount Zion Baptist Church in Uvalde. It was driven by a 42-year-old volunteer who allegedly failed to control the vehicle’s speed as he was trying to make a turn in the Harris County neighborhood. The bus then rolled and ended up on its side, Lt. Simon Cheng, with the sheriff’s office, said, according to ABC News.

@HCSOTexas units responded to a crash at an apt complex located at 90 Uvalde. Preliminary: a small church bus, with about 25 persons on-board, including children, flipped over. Most are being transported to area hospitals; one person said to be critical. #HouNews pic.twitter.com/EiaWvRb4HK

— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) December 11, 2022

Arriving deputies found children on different spots at the scene, with some of them partially out of the bus, Gonzalez added.

“There were screams because there was a lot of blood,” Austin, a 15-year-old who managed to open an emergency exit through which most of the passengers escaped, told ABC13. “One girl’s arm was through the window under the bus, and they had to lift the bus up to get her out.”

All 16 passengers, including the kids aged 1 to 16, were hospitalized.

“We’re thankful that no one was seriously injured,” Cheng added.

Jared Zapata, a pastor in the church that owns the bus, said individuals who drive their buses are volunteers who regularly pick up and drop off kids and adults at church services. He also made it clear that the volunteer driving the bus at the time of the accident would not be allowed to drive for the church anymore, according to the outlet.

No charges were brought against the driver immediately after the crash, and he showed no signs of intoxication. No other vehicles were involved in the crash, which is under investigation.

However, parents want the driver to be held accountable. “There were a lot of young children, that is your priority,” Daniel Byerley told the outlet. “If you are driving a bus full of children, that’s your priority.”