A tragic accident involving a Pine Ridge Middle School bus has left the South Carolina community in shock, with many questions still unanswered.
On Thursday afternoon, a school bus carrying approximately students and three adults from Pine Ridge Middle School overturned on Interstate in Chester County. The group was returning from a field trip to Charlotte, North Carolina, when a tire blew out, causing the bus to veer off the road, strike a guardrail, and flip onto its side around:4 p.m.
Emergency responders rushed to the scene, where multiple students were trapped inside the overturned bus. Authorities confirmed that one student, identified as 13-year-old Jose Maria Gonzales Linares, an eighth grader, lost his life in the crash. At least five others were critically injured, and a total of people were transported to area hospitals, some by helicopter.
The accident involved only one of three buses returning from the field trip; the other two buses avoided the crash and their passengers were unharmed. Traffic on I-7 southbound was blocked for hours as rescue operations continued and investigators examined the scene.
Counselors have been made available at Pine Ridge Middle School to support grieving students and staff. The South Carolina Highway Patrol is actively investigating the incident to determine the exact cause.
The Pine Ridge Middle School community and the entire Lexington Two School District are mourning the loss, with state officials expressing condolences and support in the wake of this devastating event.
