UPDATE: No injuries after pickup truck crashes into Hamilton County school bus

School bus tile
School bus tile

A pickup truck crashed into a Hamilton County school bus early Wednesday morning.

The bus, number 433, was stopped near Mackey Branch and East Brainerd Road, picking up students when it was hit from behind by the pickup.

One child was transported by HCEMS, according to Chattanooga Police Department spokeswoman Elisa Myzal. The child was taken to the hospital as a precaution because he complained of a sore chest.

The child was released without injuries later in the day, according to Hamilton County Schools spokesman Tim Hensley.

No one else reported injuries at the scene, according to CPD.

"The position of the sun at the time of the crash caused the truck driver's vision to be obstructed," according to CPD. No charges have been filed at this time.

"We are so thankful that our students were not injured in the accident," said Dr. Bryan Johnson, superintendent of Hamilton County Schools, in a statement Wednesday. "To our friends on the busy roadways in the morning and afternoons, please take extra care around our yellow buses and help us to get our children to school and home again safely."

"The few extra seconds you take on your commute to be cautious around a bus will mean so much to the families of friends and neighbors in your community," he added.

The bus was headed to East Brainerd Elementary School and an alternate bus as sent to the scene to deliver the students to school after being checked out by EMS.

The children were again checked by a school nurse when they arrived at school and a school counselor was available to talk with the children, according to Hensley.

The number of students on the bus at the time of the crash is unknown, however it was "full," according to officials.

Hamilton County Schools planned to send a telephone message to the entire school community to let parents know about the incident.

Contact Meghan Mangrum at mmangrum@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6592. Follow her on Twitter @memangrum.

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