School bus full of students collides with dump truck

BRAZORIA COUNTY, TX – In a dramatic incident captured on video, a Columbia-Brazoria ISD school bus collided with a dump truck on Thursday, leaving the community shaken.

The crash occurred around 6:45 a.m. in a construction zone on CR 353 and Highway 36. District officials cited confusion over the traffic control signs as the probable cause. Construction workers were using “stop” and “slow” signs to manage traffic flow around the dump truck. However, the bus driver reportedly mistook a “stop” sign for a “slow” sign, leading to the unfortunate collision.

Initially, it was reported that 21 students were riding on the bus, but later updates confirmed 34 students were present. Following the crash, a student and the bus driver sustained injuries requiring medical evaluation and were airlifted to a hospital. Their conditions remain undisclosed as of Friday morning.

The remaining students were assessed for any injuries and were subsequently released to their parents or sent on to school. In response to the incident, TxDOT closed multiple lanes on Highway 36 between FM 522 and CR 354.

Paul Fulkerson, a junior at Columbia High School, was among the bus passengers. “I was asleep and then all I heard was the screeching of the brakes and we hit the dump truck,” Fulkerson recounted.

The Department of Public Safety (DPS) has launched an investigation into the crash. As of now, no charges have been filed.

This incident took place soon after another bus accident in Fort Bend County, where a driver collided with a school bus last week. Fortunately, there were no injuries reported in that case.