VALDSOTA, GA (WTXL) - Troopers have released the identities of the children involved in a fatal school bus crash on I-75 in Lowndes County.
One person died and several others were taken to a hospital with injuries after the crash occurred. The bus was transporting Lowndes County High School students when the bus collided Aug. 29th with a tractor-trailer on I-75.
Georgia State Patrol said the school bus, driven by 62-year-old Aline Thomas of Valdosta, was transporting around 30 students when it was hit in the back by a tractor trailer and its load of metal beams it was carrying.
Troopers said Life Flight responded to the scene of the crash in an attempt to transport a critically injured child, identified as 15-year-old Rebecca Hall of Tallahassee. She was transported to South Georgia Medical Center ambulance where she later died.
The uninjured children involved in the collision were taken to Lowndes Middle School to be picked up by parents. Thirteen children were transported by ambulance to South Georgia Medical Center for treatment of injuries sustained in the crash. An additional six children were transported by private vehicles to South Georgia Medical Center for treatment.
The trailer-tractor was driven by 58-year-old Michael Scarpaci of Lockport, Illinois. Scarpaci was not injured though Thomas suffered a leg injury. Troopers do not suspect alcohol or drugs to be a factor in the collision but are pending toxicology reports.
The occupants of the school bus are as follows:
Transported by Ambulance to South Georgia Medical Center
- Rebecca Hall, 15 years old of Valdosta – fatal injury
- 15 years old of Valdosta – incapacitating injury, currently admitted to ICU at SGMC
- 18 years old of Valdosta
- 16 years old of Valdosta
- 15 years old of Valdosta
- 15 years old of Lake Park
- 15 years old of Lake Park
- 18 years old of Valdosta
- 13 years old of Valdosta
- 15 years old of Lake Park
- 15 years old of Valdosta
- 16 years old of Lake Park
- 16 years old of Valdosta
Transported by private vehicles to SGMC
- 14 years old of Valdosta
- 15 years old of Valdosta
- 14 years old of Valdosta
- 16 years old of Valdosta
- 16 years old of Lake Park
- 15 years old of Valdosta
- 17 years old of Lake Park
- 14 years old of Lake Park
Not Transported or Transported to Other Medical Clinics with Complaint of Injury
- 16 years old of Valdosta
- 14 years old of Valdosta
- 16 years old of Lake Park
- 17 years old of Lake Park
- 16 years old of Lake Park
No reported injury
- 14 years old of Valdosta
- 16 years old of Lake Park
- 15 years old of Valdosta
