A school bus carrying 42 students from Bagdad Elementary School rolled over on a rural road north of Austin on Wednesday, sending 15 students and the driver to hospitals, officials said.
The crash, which occurred around 3:15 p.m. in the 22300 block of Nameless Road in Travis County, left one person with life-threatening injuries and two with potentially life-threatening injuries, according to Kevin Parker, assistant chief of Austin-Travis County Medical Emergency Services. The remaining occupants of the bus suffered minor injuries.
The bus, a 2024 model equipped with seatbelts, veered off the right side of a curved road and overturned before any students had been dropped off, said Leander Independent School District Superintendent Bruce Gearing. It remains unclear how many students were wearing seatbelts or what caused the bus to leave the roadway, though a Texas Department of Public Safety official noted it was raining at the time. The investigation is ongoing.
“This part of our Leander ISD family has been through so much already this summer with the floods and this tragedy this afternoon is really breaking our hearts,” Gearing said, per NBC 5 DFW. “We want each of those students and their families to know that our prayers are with them, our thoughts are with them, and we will do everything that we can in our power to support them.”
Ten EMS vehicles, including eight ambulances and two helicopters, responded to the rural crash site. Parker clarified that helicopters were used for efficient transport, not necessarily due to injury severity. The injured were taken to Dell Children’s North Austin Medical Center, Dell Children’s Medical Center in East Austin, and Cedar Park Regional Medical Center.
Initial reports indicated 12 people were transported, but additional students were sent for medical care after reassessment at a reunification point, the Austin American-Statesman reported.
The incident follows deadly flash flooding in the same area last month, which had already affected the Bagdad Elementary community. The district announced that additional counselors will be available at the school to support students and families.