TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Multiple children have been injured and a bus driver has been arrested after a Brooks County bus ran off the road.
The Georgia State Patrol said that Valdosta troopers responded to the crash on Cooper Road in Brooks County around 7:30 a.m.
Troopers were able to piece together a narrative after an investigation.
They said that the bus was traveling east on Cooper Road when the bus traveled off the right shoulder of Cooper Road. The bus then struck the ditch and a culvert.
After hitting the ditch and culvert, the driver, identified as Brian Elliot, steered the bus back onto Cooper Road. Troopers said that the bus then traveled across both east and west bound lanes of Cooper Road. The bus again traveled into the south ditch of Cooper Road and into the property of 2009 Cooper Road.
Troopers said the driver drove the bus back onto Cooper Road where he stopped the bus and exited to inspect for vehicle damage. The driver told troopers that the bus was drivable and that he continued on his route.
The driver later reported the incident to the school officials when he arrived at the school to unload the children.
GSP said that there are a total of 21 injuries ranging from cut lips and noses along with complaints of various non-visible injuries. There were no serious injuries reported.
Elliot was arrested and charged with failure to maintain lane, failure to report accident with injuries, striking a fixed object, and leaving the scene of a crash with damage and injuries.
The driver was also charged with cruelty to children in the second degree which is a felony.
He is currently at the Brooks County Jail as troopers interview the driver and gather more evidence. More charges may be filed after the investigation is complete.
