HOUSTON—Fifteen people, including 12 children, were hospitalized on Sunday after a small church bus overturned near a Houston area apartment, according to a Harris County sheriff.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a tweet Sunday evening that 15 passengers on board the bus—12 children and three adults—were taken to hospitals. One person was critical but stable. Fourteen of the 15 passengers were hospitalized with possible but non-life-threatening injuries. The children were between the ages of one and 16.
Update: the driver (42) operated the passenger bus. The bus was occupied by 3 adult passengers and 12 child passengers, ranging from one year old to 16 yrs old. The driver failed to control speed while negotiating the curve causing the bus to roll on its right side. The 1/3 https://t.co/m4EiVzd8YQ
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) December 12, 2022
crash. The crash remains under investigation. 3/3
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) December 12, 2022
Gonzalez said the driver was not injured and did not appear to be intoxicated. The crash is under investigation.
The bus, belonging to a Baptist church, rolled over and landed on its side after the driver tried to make a left turn in a northeast Harris County neighborhood around 12:30 p.m., said Lt. Simon Cheng with the county’s sheriff’s office.
It’s unclear how fast the driver was going, but the speed limit on the road was 30 mph, Cheng said.
The driver is likely to be issued a citation but investigators are still determining if any charges could be filed in the case, Cheng said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
