A female student died at the scene and the three other students, as well as the driver, were taken to the hospital in unknown condition.
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The district said the bus also has cameras, which will be used in the investigation.
A smashed Houston school bus sign and pens and pencils are scattered on the road where the bus drove off a highway overpass Tuesday, September 15, 2015, in Houston.
The Houston Independent School District said the bus, which was carrying four students, was on its way to Furr High School when the wreck occurred.
Large school buses are heavier and distribute crash forces differently than do passenger cars and light trucks.
Update 3:14 p.m. The Houston Police Department corrected its release to say that one of the two surviving teenage victims is male.
The Texas Legislature has worked to make seat belts on buses mandatory, but funding has been a problem.
Fatal school bus accidents like the one in Houston Tuesday that killed two children are rare, federal safety figures suggest – and they rarely kill children, who log thousands of hours riding each year.
Witnesses said the bus nose-dived and flipped before landing on its side along the freeway embankment. Counselors are available at the school to support students and staff. “I ask all of the (school district) community to join me in praying for all of those involved”. “Please open your hearts to help these families”, the school said, in a statement. The district says that records show the bus last underwent a maintenance inspection in June. The driver swerved and hit the driver’s side portion of the school bus.
“It should make us all think about what we do and how are kids are safe on the buses and we are going to make sure that they are”, said Raney, (R) District 14. It wasn’t immediately clear whether students were wearing the lap belts.
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Meanwhile, Simmons says she has received calls from all over the country offering condolences and volunteering support.
