‘It was scary’: 21 students sent to hospital after school bus overturns on highway

ST. MATTHEWS, Ky. (WAVE/Gray News) - The St. Matthews Police Department is investigating a Tuesday morning crash involving a Jefferson County Public Schools bus on a local highway.

MetroSafe first reported the crash at about 7:10 a.m. on Interstate 64 near the Watterson Expressway interchange.

WAVE reports the school bus was carrying 21 students to Noe Middle and duPont Manual High schools, according to Mark Hebert, a JCPS spokesperson.

Hebert said the bus rolled onto its side after hydroplaning. When it came to rest, the bus was off the right side of the interstate on its left side, facing the wrong direction.

“Everybody was screaming, and we had to go through the front of the bus,” said sixth-grader Kennedy Thompson. “All of the emergency windows and exits were on the side that was down.”

Witness Colleen Hickman said there was heavy rain in the area when the crash happened.

“It was pouring down rain,” she said. “I had my windshield wipers on high, as high as they could go. And it was pouring.”

Hebert said all of the students on the bus were taken to three Louisville-area hospitals to be checked or treated for injuries. The bus driver was not injured.

Maggie Roetker, a spokesperson for Norton Healthcare, said none of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening.

“The patients that we received did not experience any significant head injuries,” said Dr. Mark McDonald with the Norton Children’s Hospital. “And in general, it was just superficial injuries and musculoskeletal injuries.”

The school district shared that it notified the parents or guardians of the students on the bus and that team members were at each of the hospitals.

Hebert said none of the students needed to stay overnight at the hospitals for treatment.

The crash closed the highway for more than two hours, according to police.

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