Two Students Confirmed Dead in Highway 70 School Bus Crash, Investigation Underway

CARROLL COUNTY (March 27) — During Friday afternoon's media briefing, the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) confirmed two student deaths from the fatal Highway 70 crash involving a Montgomery County school bus.

The THP, the Carroll County Sheriff's Department and Baptist Ambulance Service provided preliminary information regarding Friday's fatal crash. Here's what they know:

At approximately noon on Friday, March 27, the Tennessee Highway Patrol responded to a crash in Carroll County near the intersection of Highway 70 and Cedar Grove. The crash involved three vehicles: a Montgomery County school bus, a TDOT dump truck and a Chevrolet Trailblazer.

While the crash investigation is ongoing, THP Major Travis Plotzer said it did not appear the TDOT truck had any "contributing factors" to the crash.

The bus was transporting 25 students and five adults from Kenwood Middle School to a field trip in Jackson, Tenn., when the crash occurred.

Two students were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.

There were two adults in the TDOT truck and one adult in the Chevrolet Trailblazer. The conditions of these individuals were not reported.

All units of Baptist Ambulance Service of Carroll County responded to the scene. One unit from Baptist Ambulance Service of Obion County, four units from Medical Center EMS in Jackson and one unit from Henderson County EMS were also on the scene, joined by the Carroll County Fire Department, Huntingdon Fire Department, McKenzie Fire Department and the Carroll County Rescue Squad.

The Baptist Ambulance Service requested nine ambulance helicopters to respond to the scene. Of those, seven were used to transport patients to the following hospitals: Baptist Regional Medical Center in Memphis, Lebonheur Children's Hospital, Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, Vanderbilt University Hospital and Skyline Medical Center.

To provide continuing coverage for Carroll County during this incident, Baptist Ambulance Service dispatched an additional unit from Baptist Ambulance Service in Obion County and the Henry County EMS.