Five children confirmed dead in Monday’s school bus crash in Chattanooga, Tennessee, have been identified.
The five victims have been identified as Cordayja Jones, 9; Zoie Nash, 9; D’Myunn Brown, 6; Zyanna Harris, 10; and Zyaira Mateen, 6; KFOR reported.
Three of the children were fourth graders, one was a first grader, and the other, a kindergartner. All went to Woodmore Elementary School.
Of those who were injured, 19 were treated and released Monday, while 12 patients remained at Erlanger Children’s Hospital as of Tuesday afternoon.
Six were in critical care, and six were in stable condition.
The injuries ranged from cuts and bruises to broken bones and traumatic head injuries, Erlanger Health System Senior Vice President Jan Keys said.
People have lined up to donate blood and have set up a makeshift memorial of toys and flowers at the crash site.
“The most unnatural thing in the world is for a parent to mourn the loss of a child,” Mayor Andy Berke said. “There are no words that can bring comfort to a mother or a father. So today, the city is praying for these families.”
The deaths and injuries come after a bus swerved off the road, crashed into a tree, and split apart, killing at least five children and wounding several others.
Police arrested the bus driver, Johnthony Walker, 24, on vehicular homicide charges, along with reckless driving and reckless endangerment as local officials and the National Transportation Safety Board investigate the accident.
Police said Walker was driving well above the 30 mph posted speed limit along a narrow, winding road with 35 children on board. The bus did not have seat belts.
“Mr. Walker lost control of the bus and swerved off of the roadway to the right, striking an elevated driveway and mailbox, swerved to the left and began to overturn, striking a telephone pole and a tree,” the arrest affidavit says.
Walker is being held on $107,500 bail and is expected to be in court on November 29.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.