School bus crash in Charlotte, North Carolina injures 17 after collision with a dump truck and car

At least 15 students were injured and a man is fighting for his life following a crash involving a school bus, car and dump truck in North Carolina on Wednesday morning. 

Paramedics at the scene in Charlotte confirmed that 15 of the 17 injured were students from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) and one of the drivers had sustained life-threatening injuries, WSOC reported. 

The school bus was carrying 40 students when the crash occurred at about 6:30 a.m. on Sharonbrook Drive, Mecklenburg Emergency Medical Services Agency (MEDIC) officials said. 

The bus driver and dump truck driver were trapped inside their vehicles after the crash but were freed by the Charlotte Fire Department. 

It was not immediately clear which one of the drivers sustained life-threatening injuries.

At least 15 students were injured after a school bus collided with a dump truck and passenger car in North Carolina at 6:30am on Wednesday

Firefighters took 30 mins to free the bus driver and one hour to free the dump truck driver who were stuck inside their vehicles surrounded by tented metal

The front of the school bus, which was carrying 40 students from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, was torn to pieces in the horrific crash

Emergency workers use a crane to lift the dump truck and clear the crash site on Sharonbrook Drive in Charlotte, North Carolina

The injured students escaped with only minor wounds while one of the adult victims was reported to have sustained life-threatening injuries

 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officials said it was unlikely anyone would face charges following a preliminary investigation

MEDIC officials said it took emergency workers 30 minutes to free the bus driver and an hour to remove the dump truck driver.

Fire department officials said freeing the drivers took time due to the sheer amount of dented metal surrounding them from the crash.  

The children were all taken to hospital in a mass casualty bus to treat their minor injuries, WRAL reported. 

CMS officials said they had sent a message to South Mecklenburg High School families informing them of the crash and the students’ conditions. 

The statement from school Principal Mar Angerer reads: ‘This morning, bus number 222 was involved in a crash with two other vehicles. 

‘Fifteen of our students were on the bus. Fourteen students were taken to the hospital to be checked out as a precaution and parents of those students were contacted. The bus driver was also injured.

‘I want to assure you that we take the safety of your children very seriously.’

The dump truck was lifted from the scene with a crane and placed on a tow truck

Emergency crews took one hour to free the dump truck driver due to the sheer amount of crushed metal surrounding him following the crash

Police cordoned off the scene where the bus, dump truck and car collided during the morning school run in North Carolina 

The truck driver was rushed to hospital in an ambulance while the students were transported in a mass casualty bus

Angie Washington, who lives in the area, told WRAL she was in her home when she heard a loud boom followed by the screams of school children. 

‘I saw all the children getting out the back of the bus and I ran down here,’ she said. ‘Kids were crying, they were a little hysterical.’

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officials said it was unlikely anyone would face charges following a preliminary investigation.   

Pictures of the wreckage show the shattered windshield of the school bus as it’s pinned against a tree and the dump truck

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Angie Washington, who lives in the area, said she heard a loud boom followed by school children screaming 

Pictures from the aftermath show city workers cleaning up the debris from the crash in order to clear the road for morning commuters