One student killed and 23 injured as school bus overturns on first day of classes in Ohio

Bus flipped as driver tried to avoid van that swerved into oncoming traffic, police said

One student was killed and 23 were hurt in a school bus crash outside of Dayton, Ohio, on Tuesday, according to officials.

A bus taking elementary school students to the first day of classes in Clark County, 30 miles northeast of Dayton, flipped over as its driver tried to avoid a van that swerved into oncoming traffic, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

The bus had no seatbelts, Tyler Ross of the highway patrol told ABC News.

The accident occurred around 8.16am on Ohio state route 41 near Lawrenceville Road in German Township, WXIX reports.

Fifty-two students were onboard when the bus flipped over. Twenty-two of those injured had non-life-threatening injuries, and one of those injured suffered serious injuries, according to police.

A family reunification centre was established at German Township Firehouse, The Columbus Dispatch reports.

The state patrol said bus driver Alfred E Collier, 68, suffered minor injuries and was not transported to the hospital, while the driver of the minivan, Hermanio Joseph, 35, and a passenger, Robert Mompremier, 37, were taken to Springfield Regional Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

A school bus in Clark County, Ohio, flipped over, killing a student, on 22 August 2023 (WXIX)

“Northwestern Family, I am saddened to report that there was an injury accident this morning involving one our buses,” the school said in a statement on Facebook. “We are still gathering information and will share it with you as it becomes available.”

Dayton Children’s Hospital said it had received numerous patients for treatment in what it called a “mass casualty incident.”

“The Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association declared a mass casualty incident, per its protocol. Dayton Children’s managed the situation with normal operations. Dayton Children’s emergency department saw 22 children from this accident. Some came by ambulance and some were brought by their parents,” the hospital said in a statement to WHIO.

The crash temporarily blocked traffic on Ohio state route 41.

The accident is under investigation by state police.