TN school bus erupts in flames; no children injured

PARK CITY, TN (WAFF) - A fiery school bus crash in Lincoln County, Tennessee sent one man to the hospital on Monday and created a terrifying scene on a busy highway.

As pictures poured in from viewers capturing the flames, a Tennessee State Trooper sprung to action to save lives as other first reponders rushed to the accident site.

No children were the on the Lincoln County bus at the time if the incident. It was on its way to pick up Highland Rim Elementary students. Both the bus and SUV were charred shells once the flames were put out.

Troopers say the bus was on its daily route to pick up kids. It was driving northbound on Huntsville Highway when it pulled in front of an SUV going south and the two collided.

The SUV caught fire first and the flames ended up spreading to the bus. Tennessee State Trooper Jon Judge saw the crash happen. He initially tried to put the fire out with a fire extinguisher. The driver of the SUV was pinned inside the car and Trooper Judge helped pull the man out.

Retired trooper Brian Scott lives nearby and saw it all happen.

“My dogs started barking this morning around 6:15 and I came outside to see who was here and I heard a popping. I thought someone was closing doors and I looked out and a bus and car had a wreck,” he said.

Traffic was stopped as crews worked the scene.

“I just sat here and watched it burn. The fire department came and started to put it out. It took them a while to do that,” Scott stated. “There were so many people up there around it, I couldn’t have done anyone any good. If I had been there first, I would have been up there with it. They had already got the ambulance here.”

He was relieved because there were no kids on the bus at the time.

“It’s the biggest burning wreck I’ve seen. I saw several catch on fire and saw some serious accidents that caused fatalities. I was more worried about kids being on the bus and I knew it was too early for them to start picking them up. I’m just glad there were no children there and no one was killed in the accident,” Scott added.

The bus driver went to the hospital to be checked out but was not injured. The driver of the SUV is in serious condition at Huntsville hospital. Tennessee Highway Patrol investigated is investigating the crash.

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