UPDATED — A bus driver with the Fayette County School System has died after a slow-speed head-on crash at McIntosh High School Monday afternoon. No students were injured.
The driver apparently lost consciousness from a medical condition of some kind just prior to the crash, police said.
Sixty-year-old James David Woody of Fayetteville had served as a bus driver with the school system for more than five years, according to school system spokesperson Melinda Berry-Dreisbach.
The cause of death will not be known until an autopsy is performed, Berry-Dreisbach said.
Peachtree City Police Department spokesman Mark Brown said the incident occurred at approximately 4:15 p.m. just as the bus pulled out of the McIntosh parking lot and onto the roadway.
Brown said the bus immediately pulled into the oncoming lane and hit a Volkswagen head-on. The crash was believed to have been caused by a medical condition experienced by the driver, Brown said.
Aside from the driver, there were no injuries to students or to the occupants of the car, said Brown.
Brown said officers and others who stopped at the scene approached the bus driver and provided assistance after the driver was found unresponsive and not breathing. Two of those attempting to render aid were school students on the bus, according to the school system.
Brown said Woody had a pulse prior to being transported to Piedmont Fayette Hospital.
Students on the bus were transferred to another bus and transported home.
School system Transportation Director Roxanne Owen in a letter to parents explained the circumstances of the accident. She said Woody lost consciousness at the steering wheel, causing the bus to veer into the opposite lane and strike two vehicles.
“I want to commend the students who were on the bus for remaining calm, following proper emergency exit procedures and notifying the school office of what had happened,” Owen said. “I especially want to commend the two students who tried to assist Mr. Woody while emergency personnel were in route.”
Owen in the letter also expressed her thoughts on Woody and his work with the school system.
“Mr. Woody was a well-respected school bus driver who had been with transportation for over five years. In addition to driving for McIntosh High, he also drove routes for Kedron Elementary and J.C. Booth Middle,” said Owen. “He was always willing to pitch in where he could to help drive other routes when needed, and he drove many extra-curricular trips for schools throughout the years. He will be truly missed by all who knew him. Our deepest sympathies go to his loved ones for their loss.”
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Earlier online story — A bus driver with the Fayette County School System suffering a medical condition as he was leaving McIntosh High School with students Monday afternoon died later in the day.
Sixty-year-old James David Woody, of Fayetteville, had served as a bus driver with the school system for more than five years, according to school system spokesperson Melinda Berry-Dreisbach.
The cause of death will not be known until an autopsy is performed, Berry-Dreisbach said.
It was believed that the medical condition led to a crash immediately after the bus pulled out of McIntosh High School Monday afternoon.
Peachtree City Police Department spokesman Mark Brown said the incident occurred at approximately 4:15 p.m. just as the bus pulled out of the McIntosh parking lot and onto the roadway.
Brown said the bus immediately pulled into the oncoming lane and hit a Volkswagen head-on. The crash was believed to have been caused by a medical condition experienced by the driver, Brown said.
Aside from the driver, there were no injuries to students or to the occupants of the car, said Brown.
Brown said officers and others who stopped at the scene approached the driver and provided assistance after the driver was found unresponsive and not breathing.
Brown said Woody had a pulse prior to being transported to Piedmont Fayette Hospital.
Students on the bus were transferred to another bus and transported home.
