An accident in which a bus overturned and injured 34 people has led to driver Thomas Chidester being charged with reckless driving, according to USA today. One person has been majorly wounded following the crash with the others sustaining minor injuries.
The bus was carrying 50 passengers, many of whom were students from Virginia Tech and Radford universities, and the University of Virginia returning from their Thanksgiving break, before it flipped on a Powhite Parkway ramp in Richmond on Sunday night, according to NBC News. The ramp was consequently closed for the investigation and roads around the area were restricted for several hours. A car also struck the bus after it overturned, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Chidester, 58, has been charged with reckless driving following the accident with USA Today reporting that Virginia State Police claimed speed as a factor.
"It seemed like we were going way too fast," Virginia Tech freshman Emily Beneke told the Richmond Times-Dispatch about the period preceding the crash. Beneke, from Williamsburg, was not badly injured in the incident but fell between two seats and on top of another passenger, according to The Richmond Times-Dispatch. Her mother was one of the many parents who came to collect their child from the scene after word of the accident had spread.
In the aftermath of the incident, Chesterfield County Fire Lt. Jason Elmore was reported by NBC News as saying "when you have a bus of this size with that many students that are on it... we're very fortunate that there were not more injured than there were". The nature of the injuries sustained were not disclosed, but Elmore stated that they were mostly bumps, bruises and othe injuries "that would be consistent with a vehicle accident", according to NBC News.
The bus was a part of a local ride-share transportation service and is reported by NBC as being operated by Abbott Bus Lines of Roanoke, who are cooperating fully in the investigation.
