Three children, three adults hospitalized after charter school, WeGo busses collide

Kirsten Fiscus and Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean
Updated ·2 min read
A WeGo bus and school bus for RePublic Charter school bus collided head-on in the 3000 block of Elm Hill Pike resulting in seven injuries Tuesday, Aug. 29. 2023.
A WeGo bus and school bus for RePublic Charter school bus collided head-on in the 3000 block of Elm Hill Pike resulting in seven injuries Tuesday, Aug. 29. 2023.

At least seven people, including three children, were hospitalized Tuesday morning after a WeGo bus and a RePublic High Charter school bus collided head-on, causing two other SUVs to crash on Elm Hill Pike.

First responders were called to the area of Elm Hill Pike and Patio Drive around 6:52 a.m., said Joseph Pleasant, a spokesperson for the Nashville Fire Department.

Nashville police said the driver of a WeGo bus drifting into oncoming traffic and crashed head-one with a westbound RePublic High School bus.

Three children on the school bus were transported to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, Pleasant added. Kris Mumford, a spokesperson for the Metro Nashville Police Department, said the children's injuries were minor.

Devin Gray, spokesperson for the school, said in a statement that 11 high school students and an adult on the bus and that a fourth child was also treated for minor injuries.

"We greatly appreciate the support of law enforcement as school leaders work to handle this situation," the statement said.

The WeGo bus driver was taken to the hospital in critical condition, but is stable, Mumford said.

An adult passenger on the WeGo bus suffered minor injuries, but was not transported to the hospital, Mumford said. An adult driver of a third vehicle and their passenger were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The driver of the second SUV refused transport to a hospital.

Eric Melcher, a spokesperson for WeGo, said the driver's family was notified of the wreck and WeGo is cooperating with police.

"All our vehicles have video aboard the bus," Melcher said. "We've already downloaded that and provided it to police. Safety is our number one concern which is why we have video devices. We're thankful there hasn't been any serious incidents like this recently."

Police reunited all other children with their parents and if needed, encouraged them to take them to a primary care doctor or to the emergency room by private vehicle.

Two SUVs that traveling westbound on Elm Hill Pike behind the bus were involved in the crash. One driver and her passenger received minor injuries. The second driver refused medical assistance.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Children, adults hospitalized after WeGo, charter school busses crash