CATAWBA COUNTY, N.C. — One person was killed and several others injured Friday afternoon when a school bus collided with an SUV on Bethany Church Road in Catawba County.
[IMAGES: Fatal bus crash in Catawba County]
The driver of the SUV, 31-year-old Teri Lasher, died after hitting the bus and then a tree, police said.
(Teri Lasher)
Family members and friends said Lasher was a wonderful, unique and beautiful person who will be missed.
An eyewitness told Channel 9 reporter Dave Faherty that the SUV crossed the center line moments before the crash.
"The bus was going a slow speed," the witness said. "He tried to avoid colliding with her and ran off the road, and tried to avoid her."
He said other drivers stopped to help.
There were five people on the bus, including three students, the driver and a monitor. None of them were hurt, officials said.
The bus, No. 333, was from Catawba Rosenwald School.
The cause of the crash is under investigation and the road was closed until early Friday evening.
The Catwaba County School Board released the following statement:
A Catawba County Schools bus was involved in an accident on Bethany Church Road in Catawba County.
Three students and the bus driver and monitor were on the bus at the time and are being evaluated by paramedics and emergency management services but there appears to be no serious physical injuries to the students or the bus driver and monitor.
Live video from Chopper 9 over the scene: