CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- Seven children on a Childtime daycare bus were not injured when the bus flipped on its side following a Wednesday morning crash, according to Chesterfield Police. The driver at a Nissan Altima collided with the bus at the intersection of Kingsland and Hopkins Road.
People who work near the intersection said they were used to hearing screeching tires.
"We are very familiar with that sound at this intersection," Jennifer, an employee at Spencer's Express, said.
But around 9 a.m., a different sound caught her attention.
"As we got closer I heard the children screaming and we realized that it was actually a small school bus," she said.
Brandon Adams, who works at the Adam's Automotive, heard it too.
"I heard a loud boom and walked to the window and witnessed the bus toppled over," he said.
Security cameras captured video of the driver the car running through the stop sign. A sight Adams said he'd seen countless times before.
"We’ve had people crash into our building. I still have a hole in the side where somebody ran through it a month or two ago," he said.
Adams said when he heard the crash, he and others ran to the scene.
"We got the children out. Made sure everybody wasn’t hurt," Jennifer said, adding it was divine intervention that kept the children safe.
"I just felt like the angels are out here," she said. "I just stepped in the kitchen and cried you know I’ve got two granddaughters, Jen's got two Granddaughters and it could have been so much worse. "
But Adams believes the worst will happen if something isn't done about the intersection.
"Somebody’s going to get hurt. Somebody will get hurt here if something isn’t done," Adams said. "I want to see them put a stoplight here."
Police said everyone involved in the accident was okay. They said one child was taken to the hospital out of caution.
In a statement released Wednesday night, Childtime wrote:
"This morning, one of our buses was involved in an accident with another vehicle that had failed to stop. Seven school-age children were onboard our bus at the time. Our staff are trained to manage urgent situations. Our driver evacuated the children from the bus immediately, with assistance from some local bystanders. First responders arrived quickly and assessed the children’s condition. They transported one child to the hospital for further assessment of potential injury. The other children were transported back to our school or picked up by their parents. Although there have been no reported serious issues, some further medical evaluation has also been sought for a couple children. Nothing is more important to us than our children’s safety. We’d like to thank the responders as well as the bystanders who provided assistance."
The driver of the Nissan Altima has been charged with failure to yield.
