The driver of a motor coach that overturned on an exit ramp in North Carolina last week while carrying members of a high school football team has been charged following a police investigation.
According to the Leland (N.C.) Police Department, the 57-year-old driver faces misdemeanor charges that include reckless driving and exceeding a safe speed. The driver's name has been withheld per the policy of NBC affiliate WETC in Wilmington because the charges involved were misdemeanors.
Authorities said the crash occurred Wednesday when the bus was traveling above the posted speed limit on an exit ramp from northbound U.S. 17 to westbound U.S. 74. The motor coach left the road and overturned while attempting to negotiate a curve.
The bus was carrying football players from Douglas Byrd High School in Fayetteville, N.C., returning from Southport and a seven-on-seven football scrimmage at South Brunswick High School.
According to the reporting of Hudson Steiner, 33 people were on board the Cumberland County Schools bus, including 26 students and seven adults. Four people, including two students and two adults, were taken by ambulance to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Cumberland County Schools said late Wednesday that all students and staff had been released from the hospital, except for one staff member who remained under medical care out of an abundance of caution.
“We again appreciate the swift response of law enforcement, first responders and medical personnel who assisted our students and staff,” the district said.
Leland police said the crash investigation remains ongoing, WTOC reported.
