Categories: News

Bus wreck on Yukon injures students

Gilmer, County, Charter, School, Clear Creek, Middle, Shann Wilkes, Superintendent, Sheriff, Public Safety, Emergency, Crash, Wreck, Overturned, Bus, Yukon, Road

A Gilmer school bus is overturned on Yukon Road blocking both lanes of traffic.

ELLIJAY, Ga. – A Gilmer County Charter School System bus has crashed roughly three miles out of town on Yukon Road.

The road is currently shut down and drivers need to find alternative routes as they attempt to travel. The bus was not involved with another vehicle. According to Gilmer County Charter School System Superintendent Dr. Shanna Wilkes, the bus overturned on the wet, rainy road resulting in minor injuries to children on board.

She did confirm the only students on board were from Clear Creek Middle School. With only minor, non-life-threatening, injuries, emergency services are transporting seven students to the emergency department in Ellijay and eight are being transported to the emergency room in Jasper. However, the other students on board were uninjured or only received scrapes or bruises and, having been checked by emergency response units, are being transported back to Clear Creek Middle School for parent pick-up.

Uninjured students from the bus crash are returned to Clear Creek Middle School for parent pick-up.

According to the Gilmer County Charter School System, they are working to notify parents and are not releasing names of the students injured.

Witnesses on scene are reporting officers from Gilmer Fire, Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office, and the Georgia State Patrol are still working on the vehicle which is blocking both lanes of the road.

While emergency services are on scene, there is no set time expected for re-opening the road. Stay with FetchYourNews (FYN) as we continue to follow updates from authorities.

UPDATE: According to Dr. Shanna Wilkes, the accident coupled with response from parents to the schools delayed bus routes today, causing many students to arrive home far later than usual. With State Patrol undertaking a formal investigation into the incident, the use of this bus would demand a halt whether it is operational or not as authorities’ investigation will entail a full inspection in addition to questioning and investigating those involved.

While it is FYN’s understanding that the bus overturned after an over-correction by the driver, possibly trying to return to the road from the shoulder, it has not been confirmed by officials.

Lonnie Adams

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View Comments

Lisa McGhee says:

February 1, 2018 at 7:56 am

I can remember since high school multiple wrecks at that exact spot. The curve has a drop off that apparently causes the driver to over correct. This is so common that when I say “multiple wrecks” I am talking about annually since approximately 1978.
I have a friend that lives close enough for a birds eye view and has has her fence mowed down, multiple mailboxes, and tells me of the wrecks which are so common it feels like a monthly occurrence. Now that precious children are traversing this road on a daily basis I believe it is time to do something. I’m not sure who is responsible (I thought this was a state road but I could be wrong). At any rate I’m almost positive that property owners would give right of ways to straighten the road so no one else could be hurt. Could you explore this further? I’m sure the next driver who WILL wreck there would appreciate it as well as parents of the children that regularly frequent the the road.
Thank you!
Lisa McGhee