Students from bus crash doing OK

The 23 students taken to area hospitals after a Friday morning bus crash are doing OK, a school official said.

The crash happened around 7:30 a.m. on Fisher Town Road in the Blades community of eastern Craven County. Jeremy Brown, chief of the North Harlowe Volunteer Fire Department, said none of the students appeared to have serious injuries but were taken to hospitals in Morehead City and New Bern to be examined as a precaution.

Anetta Davenport, director of public relations for Craven County schools, said doctors had examined the students and they were OK.

The bus driver said she swerved to miss a dog, said 1st Sgt. Kevin Rock of the N.C. Highway Patrol.

"She ran off the road on the right side, came on, ran off again and overturned," Rock said. "It's almost certain she'll be charged with a violation, but we aren't yet sure what that will be."

Rock, nor Craven County Schools, would release the name of the bus driver, who was not injured.

Brown said some of the students were taken to Carteret General Hospital in Morehead City, while others were taken to Craven Regional Medical Center in New Bern.

Brown said 14 ambulances from Havelock, Cherry Point, Beaufort, Mill Creek, Newport, Craven Regional and Carteret General responded to the crash and transported the students.

Stanley Kite, head of Craven County emergency services, said the response from so many agencies was well-coordinated.

"We plan and train for this, doing mass casualty exercises," he said. "I'm sorry it happened, but I'm proud of what all the emergency services did. Everyone did what they were supposed to do."

No other cars were involved in the crash, and a final report from the N.C. Highway Patrol is still pending.