At least seven people, including three children, were hospitalized Tuesday morning after a WeGo bus and a RePublic High Charter school bus collided head-on, causing two other SUVs to crash on Elm Hill Pike.
First responders were called to the area of Elm Hill Pike and Patio Drive around 6:52 a.m., said Joseph Pleasant, a spokesperson for the Nashville Fire Department.
Three children on the bus were transported to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, Pleasant added. Kris Mumford, a spokesperson for the Metro Nashville Police Department, said the children’s injuries were minor.
About 10 children were on the bus at the time of the crash, Mumford said.
The WeGo bus driver was taken to the hospital in critical condition, but is stable, Mumford said.
An adult passenger on the WeGo bus suffered minor injuries, but was not transported to the hospital, Mumford said. An adult driver of a third vehicle and their passenger were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The driver of the second SUV refused transport to a hospital.
Eric Melcher, a spokesperson for WeGo, said the driver’s family was notified of the wreck and WeGo is cooperating with police.
“All our vehicles have video aboard the bus,” Melcher said. “We’ve already downloaded that and provided it to police. Safety is our number one concern which is why we have video devices. We’re thankful there hasn’t been any serious incidents like this recently.”
There were 3 total occupants in the 2 involved SUVs. The driver and passenger of the silver SUV sustained minor injuries and were transported to Summit Med Cntr. The driver of the black SUV refused treatment. https://t.co/dPc0NxYXgz
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) August 29, 2023
Police reunited all other children with their parents and if needed, encouraged them to take them to a primary care doctor or to the emergency room by private vehicle.
MNPD is investigating the cause of the crash.
