The driver of a car that slammed into the back of a stationary school bus Thursday afternoon remains in critical condition in a Savannah hospital.
Ted Vickery, 73, Seaburn Vickery Road, was driving a 1998 Buick Century, traveling north on Hwy. 25 a short distance past Rocky Ford Road, when he ran into the rear of a 2010 school bus unloading a special needs passenger, according to Georgia State Patrol Post 45 reports. The crash occurred around 3:11 p.m.
A passenger in the car, Thurmond Vickery, 82, was killed upon impact. Ted Vickery was taken by Air Evac to Memorial Hospital in Savannah, Sr. Trooper T. Strickland stated in reports.
The three special needs students on the bus were unharmed, said Hayley Greene, public relations specialist for Bulloch schools. GSP reports stated the students were 4, 6 and 11 years of age.
A man helping one of the students off the bus was injured when he fell and hit his head. Terry Reeves, 28, Hwy. 25, was the student’s uncle, Greene said, Strickland’s report stated Reeves was struck by the bus door after the car struck the bus. He was treated at the scene by Bulloch County EMS personnel.
The bus driver, Santos Johnson. 55, Bennett Road, Portal, suffered minor injuries and was transported by EMS to East Georgia Reginal Medical Center. A bus monitor, Janice Johnson, 57, also of Bennett Road, was uninjured, reports stated.
“We are grateful it appears no students or our personnel were injured in the unfortunate accident,” said Paul Webb, chief operations officer for the schools' Transportation Department. “Our prayers go out to the family and friends of the passenger and driver of the vehicle.”
He said there were no skid marks on the road, indicating the vehicle did not slow down prior to hitting the bus. The vehicle was wedged under the bus and the jaws of life were needed to extract the driver.
Greene said the bus driver followed all safety protocol when stopped to let the student off. She said a special needs bus is about half the size of a regular school bus.
The accident remains under investigation by Georgia State Patrol.
Herald reporter Holli Deal Saxon may be reached at (912) 489-9414.