An elementary student died and 23 others were injured after their Ohio school bus was hit on first day of class
By Jennifer Henderson and Sarah Dewberry, CNN
(CNN) — An elementary student was killed and 23 other students were injured – including one with life-threatening injuries – after their school bus was hit by a minivan and overturned on the first day of school.
The accident occurred on state Route 41 in German Township, Ohio, on Tuesday morning, the Ohio State Highway Patrol said in a news release.
The young passenger was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. The other 23 were all transferred to hospitals, including the passenger who suffered “serious, life-threatening” injuries, the highway patrol said. The school bus driver suffered minor injuries, the release added.
The Northwestern Local School District school bus was struck by a Honda Odyssey that crossed the center line, authorities said. The bus then went off the road and overturned, according to the preliminary investigation, the release added.
The Odyssey driver and passenger were transported to Springfield Regional Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, the highway patrol said.
On Wednesday, Hermanio Joseph was taken into custody in connection with the crash and charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, a fourth-degree felony, Ohio State Highway Patrol said.
CNN has not been able to determine if Joseph has an attorney.
In a statement on Facebook, Northwestern Local Schools said, “there was an Injury accident this morning involving one (of) our buses. We are still gathering information and will share it with you as it becomes available.”
In a later post, the school district said the passenger killed was an elementary student and announced there would be no classes Wednesday.
“We will have grief counselors available for anyone who needs additional support during this tragedy. The Elementary and the Jr/Sr High will open at 8am for students, staff, and community members who need assistance and want to talk to a mental health specialist,” the post said.
“Our hearts and prayers go out to the families that have been impacted by this tragedy,” it added.
The crash remains under investigation.
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CNN’s Sara Smart and Joe Sutton contributed to this report.
