Several children injured in United school bus rollover in Boone County

A school bus rollover Thursday morning in Boone County sent one child to the hospital via ambulance while 10 others were treated for minor injuries, authorities said.

The driver of a school bus operated by the United Community School District called 911 shortly after 7:20 a.m. Thursday to report the vehicle had slipped off the road and flipped onto its side in the 1700 block of 205th Street in Boone − roughly one mile east of the airport − according to the Boone County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities estimate 15 children were on the bus at the time of the accident, between the ages of 5 and 15-years old. The driver was identified as Billie Thorson, 49, of Boone.

Boone city and county police, fire and medical teams responded to the accident and evacuated the children from the bus. The cause of the crash is unknown at this time. The Boone County Sheriff's Office could not be reached for comment.

The children took cover from the rainfall at a local residence's shed while the Boone Community School District enlisted use of another bus.

One child was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, while another 10 children were transported by school bus to a local hospital for evaluation, and all were reunited with their parents.

The sheriff's office said it continues to investigate the accident.

Phillip Sitter covers education for the Ames Tribune, including Iowa State University and PreK-12 schools in Ames and elsewhere in Story County. Phillip can be reached via email at psitter@gannett.com. He is on Twitter @pslifeisabeauty.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Children injured in United Community School District bus crash in Boone County