Two students from a Clarksville middle school were killed Friday after the bus carrying them to a field trip crashed on a rural highway in western Tennessee.
The crash also injured at least seven other people who have been airlifted to hospitals across the state.
The crash occurred around noon on Highway 70 in Carroll County when a bus transporting students and staff from Kenwood Middle School in Clarksville collided with a Tennessee Department of Transportation dump truck and a Chevrolet Trailblazer, according to Maj. Travis Plotzer, a spokesperson for the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
The 29 people aboard—24 students and five adults—were headed to Jackson, Tennessee, for a Greenpower event, according to the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System.
Plotzer, who described the crash as “a parent’s worst nightmare,” said investigators were still piecing together exactly what happened, though early indications suggested the state dump truck did not play a role in causing the collision. The cause of the crash remained under investigation Friday evening.
Among the injured, four students were transported to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, where a Vanderbilt Health spokesperson said all four were in stable condition Friday.
An additional 19 people were taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Carroll County, according to Kim Alexander, a spokesperson for Baptist Memorial Health Care. All 19 were evaluated and released, though Alexander said it was unclear precisely how many of those individuals had actually sustained injuries.
Kenwood Middle School Principal Karen Miller, who traveled to Carroll County following the crash, addressed families in a written message shared on social media after she returned to Clarksville Friday evening.
“Our school community experienced an unimaginable tragedy this morning,” Miller wrote, urging parents to create space for their children to grieve and express their emotions. “Please continue to pray with us for our students, families, faculty, and staff. I am grateful for the strength of our Kenwood community, and I trust we will all support each other during this difficult time.”
Miller said school counselors would be on campus beginning Monday to support students, staff, and anyone in the school community who needs someone to talk to.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee took to social media Friday to express his condolences and call on residents statewide to pray for those affected by the crash.
The district said it would share further information on ways the community could support affected families once details are confirmed, and that counselors would remain available across the district for as long as needed.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
