A bus driver and six students on a school bus were injured Thursday when the bus hit a bridge at Carolina and Vine streets in Goldsboro.
On Broadcastify radio traffic, dispatchers said all children were out of the bus, but there were some injuries. Police on the scene said they did not believe the injuries to the children were life-threatening.
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"It was a very devastating scene, though," said Whitney Dixon, who witnessed the crash. "Seeing the scene, it was so horrible."
Video from Sky 5 showed the crumpled front end of the bus. It appeared the bus had tried to pass under the bridge and failed. The bridge height at just seven-foot-six-inches.
It's not clear whether that was the bus's regular route. According to witnesses along Carolina and Vine streets, the speed limit in that area is 25 mph. Neighbors told WRAL News that it appeared that the bus was going twice that fast.
Another neighbor said that it is not the first time a large vehicle has crashed under that bridge, adding that she's seen several U-Haul moving trucks hit the bridge. She said that she wants to see signs installed on the bridge itself showing its height because "some drivers don't see the signs that are posted."
Goldsboro Chief of Police Michael West told WRAL News that there were nine students total on the bus. The six injured students, from Dillard Charter Academy, were taken to UNC Health Wayne, while the driver was airlifted to ECU Health in Greenville.
A spokesperson for UNC Health Wayne said that the students had non-life-threatening injuries and were released Thursday night.