News Editor

The first day of school was a little soggy for students and teachers, but the day went off without a hitch until a minor bus accident at Goshen High School when school was released Monday afternoon.

No students were injured in the accident involving two Pike County Schools’ buses, but several were transported to Edge Regional Medical Center and were released.

"We were glad no students were injured," said Dr. John Key, superintendent for the Pike County School System. "The buses only received minor damage. It was just an accident, and accidents happen. It wasn’t due to the weather."

Even though the collision was an "accident" it still had to be investigated. Key said after an accident the transportation supervisor checks out the wreck thoroughly. He also said depending on the circumstances drug or alcohol screening is performed, but this was not the case in this situation.

"It was simply an accident," Key said.

The buses are checked for damages and them the assessment is turned over to the state.

"The buses were less than five feet apart at the time of the accident," Key said. "They were probably going less than five miles per hour when they hit. But when you have 26,000- pound vehicles colliding it can cause some damage."

The accident occurred at GHS buses the bandroom where the buses line up each day. The bus that was hit was damaged on the back bumper, the tailpipe and the taillight was cracked. The bus that collided with it had superficial damage on the front bumper and the hood.

"It’ll probably cost more than what it looks like," Key said.

Although the bus collision was unfortunate, Key said he was please with how everyone responded after the accident.

"We were happy and fortunate that none of the students were injured," Key said. "I want to praise the response of our personnel for checking to make sure everyone was okay. The parents were patient and understanding and the students were orderly."