School Bus Crashes in Maryland, Injuring 5--Driver at Fault

Stock photo of police tape. (Carl Ballou/Shutterstock)

A school bus in Maryland overturned, injuring five people, and officials believe the school bus driver was at fault, WBAL-TV reported.

The crash was reported at around 7 a.m. Monday, Oct. 23, on the exit of Route 29 off Route 100, causing major traffic delays.

Police said that Tyra Wilcox, 50, of Halethorpe, was speeding when she lost control of the school bus she was driving. She lost control as the bus was heading onto an exit and flipped on its side. A car that was traveling northbound struck the bus.

Wilcox, and a school bus aid---a 44-year-old woman---were taken to Howard County General Hospital with minor injuries.

Two 15-year-old Mt. Hebron High School students suffered minor injuries, and they were taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital, as WBAL-TV reported.

The driver of the other car that was involved, a 33-year-old man, suffered minor injuries and was also hospitalized.

Police issued Wilcox a citation for negligent driving. “In this situation, investigators determined that driver was driving too fast, even regardless of road or weather conditions, so she’s been charged with negligent driving,” Howard County police spokeswoman Sherry Llewellyn said.

According to NBCWashington, the cause of the crash is due to the driver speeding.

The bus company operating the bus, MBG Enterprises, told ABC2News that Wilcox has a good driving record, and she’s been driving with the company since 2010. The bus was inspected Oct. 2, and officials found nothing wrong.

A manager claimed that Wilcox was pushed off the road by another vehicle.

The company policy states that if a bus driver is cited for speeding, they will be terminated.

Route 29 north was closed as a result of the accident and later reopened, said Maryland State Highway Administration officials.

No other injuries were reported.