BEXAR COUNTY, Texas — An East Central ISD carrying middle and high school students drove into the back of an 18-wheeler in east Bexar County, authorities say, resulting in some being taken to a hospital Friday morning.
No serious injuries were reported. District officials said while the bus had a capacity of 32 students, they weren't sure exactly how many were riding East Central ISD Bus #266 at the time of the crash near Loop 1604 and Highway 87. It happened around 7:30 a.m.
The students onboard were from East Central High School and Heritage Middle School. District officials said the parents of students involved in the accident would be contacted individually.
Stetson Whittenberg, a middle school student who was on the bus at the time, described what happened during and after the accident.
"A trailer was pulling out from the highway. Our bus hit it and all the windows shattered on the sides," Stetson said. "The police department and the fire department showed up. They were checking us off to get us out. My mom came to pick me up."
He said some of his fellow students had minor injuries like bloody noses and cuts, but everyone seemed to be OK.
Stetson's father, Garrett Tope, said his wife rushed to the scene when they heard the news.
"We live less than a mile from the accident, so the traffic (had) already built up. And you want to jump off the road and go around everyone, you know?" he said. "And that is what Samantha, my wife, ended up doing; she got escorted to the scene because she was a parent."
>See more from Whittenberg and Tope below:
According to the district's public information officer, Brandon Oliver, the 18-wheeler was in a turning lane when the bus drove up behind it, unable to slow its momentum before the crash.
"From what I gather, there wasn't enough distance between the 18-wheeler and the bus in order for it to come to a complete stop without hitting it," Oliver said. "It was very low-speed."
East Central ISD police are leading the investigation into the crash.
About nine hours later on Friday afternoon, Southwest ISD officials said one of its district buses rear-ended another. There were 68 Scobee Middle School students across both vehicles, but no injuries were reported by the district.