The Columbia Police Department’s (CPD) Traffic Safety Unit (TSU) continues to investigate yesterday’s serious collision from the 1500 block of McCords Ferry Road and are reviewing possible charges.
The collision involved three vehicles:
(#1) 2014 Midbus from SC Youth Challenge Academy from McCrady Training Center – 5 Passengers
(#2) 2013 Cascadia Freightliner – 1 Passenger (hauling boxes of paper) – Georgia license plate
(#3) 1994 Convent Freightliner – 1 Passenger (hauling logs) – South Carolina license plate
Preliminary information indicates that the bus and the Convent Freightliner were traveling southbound on McCords Ferry Road as the Cascadia Freightliner was traveling north.
The Cascadia approached a disabled vehicle that was on the shoulder of the roadway. The semi-truck crossed the center line in a no passing zone to move around the stalled vehicle. The bus, traveling in the opposite lane, slowed down to allow the semi-truck to complete the pass.
The bus was rear-ended at a high rate of speed by the Convent Freightliner, causing the bus to flip over and leave the roadway.
All seven people involved in the collision were taken to a local hospital. Two people on the bus remain hospitalized and at last check, they were in stable condition.
Other agencies that assisted with the collision include: The South Carolina Highway Patrol, South Carolina State Transport Police, South Carolina Department of Transportation, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.