Roger Wigham lives about a quarter mile from the crash site. He describes the stretch of FM 1010 between County Road 337 and 340 as busy.
"There are gravel trucks that travel this road, dump trucks travel this road, repair trucks, heavy equipment trucks, you name it. They travel this road and I never realized how heavy it was, but a lot of people-- some in from Splendora to here and from here to there so it's a pretty busy little road," Wigham said.
He said it was around 6:30 a.m. when he noticed the busy road was at a standstill, and he knew something was wrong.
"I just looked out and man, it was just lined up bumper to bumper, and it surprised me that people were sitting there waiting so long, but around that time in the morning, there is a school bus right there and they stop, so you expect that. But after 30 to 40 minutes, I look out and it's still bumper to bumper," Wigham said.
Cleveland ISD said the school bus had 59 high school students on board when it went into a ditch and rolled over. ABC13 was told all students safely got off the bus, but 36 students were taken to area hospitals with minor injuries. The remaining 23 students were released to parents or taken to their home campuses, where nurses checked on them throughout the day. The bus driver was also reportedly treated in accordance with the Department of Transportation protocol.
Despite our repeated requests, Cleveland ISD would not confirm what bus was involved, though our team did capture video of a Cleveland ISD bus being towed in the area shortly after the crash cleared. In the video, you can see the emergency hatch wide open, a wheel missing, and several broken windows.
Wigham said he wouldn't describe the area of the crash as a problem curve, but said with heavy traffic and some blind spots, you do have to stay on your toes.
"It's concerning, and you just have to keep your eye open and pay extra attention," Wigham said.
The cause of the crash has not been released. The Cleveland ISD Police Department is the lead investigator on this incident. Eyewitness News has requested the crash report and is waiting to hear back.
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