CHESTER COUNTY, S.C. — Channel 9 has learned that the school bus that was involved in a deadly crash on Interstate 77 in Chester County had also been in a crash back in 2023. It was a similar issue that caused both crashes.
We reported that 13-year-old Jose Maria Gonzalez-Linares died in a crash on April 17, when a school bus traveling back to Lexington County flipped on I-77. Officials said the bus blew a tire and rolled over.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- 13-year-old killed in school bus crash on I-77, coroner says
- ‘Everybody’s hurting’: School holds vigil after student killed in Chester County bus crash
- Parent questions how fast school bus was going before deadly rollover crash
- School bus driver recalls what happened before deadly Chester County crash
Records obtained by Channel 9 show that about two weeks earlier, a tire and service shop was called for a blowout on the same bus. Going even further back, the same bus was involved in a crash in June of 2023 on Interstate 26 in North Carolina.
An incident report from 2023 says the bus was going westbound on I-25 “when the front driver’s side tire blew out, causing the bus to go off into the median, striking the safety wire.”
While 27 people were on board during that crash, thankfully, no one was hurt.
Last week, we told you that the bus driver from the crash in April said he checked all of the tires before that field trip and they were concluded to be safe for travel.
The South Carolina State Highway Patrol is still investigating the crash.
A spokesperson for Lexington School District 2 says the bus driver is still employed with the district.
(VIDEO: 4 hurt after school bus crash in east Charlotte)
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