17 hurt in charter bus crash on I-95 in South Carolina

CANADYS, S.C. (WCIV) – Seventeen people were hurt when a chartered bus carrying students and chaperones from a North Carolina high school chorus team crashed on Interstate 95 in Colleton County early Sunday morning.

The crash happened around 1:10 a.m. near the 68-mile marker on I-95 between Walterboro and St. George, according to Colleton County Fire-Rescue Chief Barry McRoy.

The bus was traveling northbound when it ran off the left side of the road into the median, broke through the cable retaining barrier, crossed the southbound lanes, and went down an embankment into woods on the other side, McRoy said.

There were 30 people on the bus at the time of the wreck, according to McRoy. Eleven were transported to Colleton Medical Center via EMS, two of whom suffered serious injuries, including the bus driver. Six more, all students, were referred for treatment after arriving at the hospital later.

The bus was one of two carrying students and chaperones from a chorus group at Beddingfield High School in Wilson, North Carolina. Facebook posts show the group was on its way home from a trip to Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.

A Good Samaritan trucker stopped and helped open the bus door after seeing the wreck, and then handed out paper towels to help those who were injured stop any bleeding, according to Beddingfield’s Facebook page.

“A HUGE thank you to Colleton County Fire Rescue and to the team at Colleton Medical Center for taking such good care of us,” Beddingfield Chorus wrote on its Facebook page.

“They opened up their cafeteria for us to sit, offered to cook us breakfast, and even contacted the local Band Director to meet us there. Walterboro, SC is a special place.”

Another charter bus was called to Walterboro to carry home the uninjured students.