Driver ran red light before hitting Spring Branch ISD school bus, causing it to flip, students say

SPRING BRANCH, Texas (KTRK) -- A driver may have run a red light before hitting a Spring Branch ISD bus and causing it to flip, police said on Thursday.

Spring Branch ISD police say the bus was traveling eastbound on Westview at about 3:50 p.m. when a Toyota Corolla traveling southbound on Silber hit it at a high rate of speed.

The bus hit the curb and a light pole and landed on its side, injuring a male middle school student on board. The driver of the Toyota was also injured.

Spring Branch ISD police Chief Larry Baimbridge said six kids from the ages of 11 to 17 years old were on board the bus at the time, along with the driver.

A student on board the bus told Eyewitness News she saw the Toyota run a red light before hitting the bus. Baimbridge confirmed that students on board gave police similar accounts.

"I literally saw it coming, and it just hit. It ran a red light, and the bus just flipped," 16-year-old Jennah Crawford said.

"My friend fell on top of me, then she went to the side, and then as soon as we hit the floor, someone had already opened the back and started pulling us out," Crawford said.

Baimbridge said the bus is equipped with seatbelts, and while it's unclear if all students were wearing them, he confirmed that no one was ejected during the crash. As a precaution, the injured student was taken to the hospital with minor wrist injuries.

The driver of the vehicle was also hospitalized, but the extent of their injuries was not immediately known.

According to Baimbridge, the bus is equipped with cameras, so police will be reviewing the footage.

Spring Branch ISD also released the following statement on the crash:

"Spring Branch ISD is grateful that the six students and driver on Bus 19 who were involved in an accident near Silber and Westview are safely off the bus and being checked out by EMS personnel at the scene. At this time, we believe one student may have sustained an injury to their wrist."

The Toyota driver has not been charged yet, but police are still investigating the crash.

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