Four people were injured Friday afternoon following a two-vehicle accident involving a pickup and a Colbert County school bus near the 20500 block of U.S. Highway 72. [DAN BUSEY/TIMESDAILY]
An Air Evac helicopter leaves the scene Friday afternoon carrying a victim as first-responders work the scene of a school bus versus pickup truck crash near the 20500 block of U.S. Highway 72. [DAN BUSEY/TIMESDAILY]
Four people were injured Friday afternoon following a two-vehicle accident involving a pickup and a Colbert County school bus near the 20500 block of U.S. Highway 72. [DAN BUSEY/TIMESDAILY]
An Air Evac helicopter leaves the scene Friday afternoon carrying a victim as first-responders work the scene of a school bus versus pickup truck crash near the 20500 block of U.S. Highway 72. [DAN BUSEY/TIMESDAILY]
TUSCUMBIA — Every school day afternoon, Teresa Burleson hears a Colbert County Schools school bus pull into a parking lot near her home off U.S. Highway 72.
"I had just said, 'It's time the babies are getting off the bus,'" Burleson said, speaking of some county students who live nearby and are dropped off at the location.
Moments later, she knew something had gone terribly wrong.
"The next thing I heard was 'boom,'" Burleson said. "I ran out and all I saw was smoke."
Four people were injured in the two-vehicle crash involving a Colbert County school bus and a pickup truck Friday afternoon.
Between 10 to 20 students were on the bus, which came from Colbert Heights High and Elementary schools at the time of the crash.
The crash occurred around 3:20 p.m. on 20500 block of the eastbound lane of Highway 72. Both vehicles came to a rest in the median, according to Colbert County Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Smith.
The two people in the pickup truck were air-lifted to Huntsville Hospital, Smith said.
A student and the bus driver suffered minor injuries and were transported via ambulance to Helen Keller Hospital, according to Colbert County Schools Superintendent Chris Hand.
Burleson said when she got to the scene, some Waste Connections employees who were nearby already were getting the children off the bus and safely away from the highway.
She said she was relieved that there were no fatalities.
"When I saw that school bus, my heart fell out," Burleson said. "I'm just grateful that none of them got hurt real bad."
All lanes of traffic on Highway 72 were closed while the helicopters landed. Then one lane east and westbound were opened once the helicopters took off.
The bus ended up partially in the eastbound left lane while the front of it was in a median. The pickup was wedged head-first into the driver's side of the bus.
Troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency are investigating the crash.
Colbert County Sheriff Department and Tuscumbia Police Department personnel assisted in working the scene of the crash.
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Waste Connections employees. Not Waste Management** It happened in front of our location as we were getting ready to leave for the day.
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PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
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