A school bus carrying 25 children crashed on Route 20 Wednesday morning after the driver struck black ice and lost control, according to Upshur County Sheriff Mike Coffman.
The incident happened shortly after 7 a.m. The driver had just dropped off students at French Creek Elementary School and was traveling north on Route 20 when she hit the ice.
“The whole road was nothing but ice — black ice,” Coffman said. “The bus lost control and started swaying back and forth, and she ended up going off the roadway, up onto an embankment.”
All 25 students on the bus were middle school and high school students. They were all checked at the scene by Upshur County EMS.
“All the kids were checked by Upshur County EMS, and they were treated and released,” Coffman said. “All but one — one was transported for minor injuries to St. Joseph’s Hospital.”
The remaining students were loaded onto another bus and taken to school.
Coffman said the crash was initially reported as a two-vehicle accident, but when deputies arrived on scene, they determined it was a single-vehicle incident caused by the icy conditions.
“The roadway was shut down for a significant amount of time, and traffic was rerouted,” Coffman said.
The WV State Police assisted with traffic control, and the Adrian Fire Department, Banks District Fire Department and multiple EMS units responded to the scene.
