Houston, TX : Two students dead in Houston school bus crash on Tuesday morning September 15 2015
Two female students, ages 14 and 17, died Tuesday morning when their school bus veered off an overpass on a busy Houston freeway and flipped onto its side.
The 17-year-old died at the scene, and the other, a 14-year-old high school freshman, died after she was taken to Houston Memorial Hospital, Houston Independent School District wrote on its blog. The driver, Louisa Pacheco, and two other students were rushed to the hospital where they were treated for serious injuries.
Families have identified the two deceased children as 14-year-old Janecia Chatman and 17-year-old Mariya Alyss Johnson, according to the Associated Press.
The bus was traveling to Furr High School when it crashed about 7 a.m. CT, turning on its side and stopping near a frontage road below the 610 Loop in southeast Houston.
Houston Police Department spokesman Victor Senties said a late-model Buick veered into the bus when a car drifted into her lane. The Buick hit the driver's side, the bus driver over-corrected by veering right, and the bus crashed through a guardrail and and off an overpass and onto the road below.
According to the school district, the driver had been employed there for three years and had a clean record. The bus last received maintenance in June.
Twisted wreckage of the bus, including a caved-in roof and front end that was partially detached from the frame, blocked traffic on the freeway for several hours.
Houston Independent School District officials said that Pacheco, the bus driver, had been with the district for about four years and had a clean driving record. The bus, a 2008 model, was equipped with seat belts and security cameras.
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2 students dead in Houston school bus crash