7 Students, 2 Others Injured In Second Arkansas Road Accident In Less Than A Week

Seven students and two drivers were injured Tuesday afternoon in a collission between a dump truck and a school bus in a northeastern Arkansas state highway. Among the injured was a child who was airlifted to a nearby hospital, state police revealed.

A state police statement said the dump truck hit the rear of the school bus that was maneuvering on a side road, ABC News reported. Arkansas State Police spokesman Bill Sadler added that the collision occurred around 190 kilometers northeast of Little Rock – an area south of Hoxie.

The dump truck, driven by Houston Franks, hit the school bus and latter flipped onto a yard. Two of the injured students had to be freed from the flipped vehicle. Both Franks and the bus driver were injured.

While one of the students had to be airlifted to a Memphis hospital, state police said no one was in critical condition. Hoxie School District Superintendent Kelly Gillham noted that students on board the school bus “were alert, able to communicate.”

According to NBC affiliate KAIT, a second child was later transported to the Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. While the two children who were transported to the hospital sustained severe injuries, those injuries weren't life threatening.

Gillham noted that discussions are under way to ask for compensation or assistance for those injured in the accident. Counseling sessions will also be made available for all students in Hoxie schools, Wednesday.

This is the second collision reported in less than a week in Arkansas following the head-on collision of two vehicles in Bentonville on Thursday. Jeanine Johnson’s vehicle was struck in the left front by another car on State Highway 549, NBC affiliate KNWA reported.

Travis Jones crossed the center line as he was southbound when the collision with Johnson’s vehicle occurred. Jones was taken to a hospital in Bentonville due to his injuries while Johnson later passed away from her injuries after being transported to Bentonville Northwest Medical shortly after the crash.

A 2016 study by 24/7 Wallstreet placed Arkansas state at the 11th spot among states that are most dangerous to drive in. The study also revealed that the state of Arkansas recorded 15.7 road deaths per 100,000 drivers in the region.

The study also suggested that accidents involving larger vehicles were more likely to have fatalities and casualties. Furthermore, drinking under influence was linked to 75 percent of Arkansas drivers who were killed in road accidents.

The latest accident is the 19th in Arkansas since the beginning of the year.