Several students hurt when school bus runs off road near Rock Hill

YORK COUNTY, S.C. — A Rock Hill school bus driver told troopers that on Wednesday morning he had to swerve off the road to avoid a car coming right at him.

The bus, which was carrying elementary students from Finley Road Elementary School, drove off Pinecrest Drive and slammed into a culvert before coming to rest in someone's front yard.

"Any defensive driving maneuver that can be done to prevent further harm is certainly a success," said Mychal Frost, who is with the Rock Hill School District.

The jolt of the crash threw children from their seats.

Firefighters helped children off the bus. Most of the students went on to school on another bus that was brought in.

The driver of the car that may have caused the crash didn't stop and troopers told Channel 9 that they do not have a good description of that car.

The bus had cameras, with some inside and one attached to the stop arm.

The stop-arm camera would not have been operating at the time of the crash, so troopers are going to look at the camera inside for evidence.

Frost said they are also checking with neighbors.

"Neighbors nearby may have had external cameras on their property.  All that's a work-in-progress, right now," Frost said.

The school bus driver, David Padgett, did not drive his route Wednesday afternoon because of district protocol. He was not injured.

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