The driver of an electric utility truck told investigators he was looking in his mirror when the truck veered off the road, causing him to over-correct and crash into a Meigs County school bus last year, leaving two dead, according to a preliminary National Transportation Safety Board report.
The Oct. 27 crash claimed the life of the bus driver, 53-year-old Lisa Dillard, and a 7-year-old girl in the 7700 block of Highway 58 just before 4 p.m.
Seven other children were hospitalized after the crash, five of whom had to be airlifted.
It’s not clear exactly how many students were on board. School officials have said there were 32 children and one adult. The Tennessee Highway Patrol has said there were 24, and the NTSB said 22 students were on board.
According to the NTSB, that area of Highway 58 is narrowed to one lane in each direction with a double yellow center line and rumble strips along the edges of both lanes. The posted speed limit is 55 mph.