Driver Of Truck That Hit School Bus Charged With DUI

Updated: February 15, 2012 at 2:48 p.m.

SC Highway Patrol officials say the driver of a truck that crossed the center line and hit a school bus Wednesday morning has been charged with DUI.

Troopers say Michelle Lea Kaufman, 42, of Simpsonville hit the bus head-on sending seven to the hospital, including the bus driver.

The crash happened on West Georgia Road.

Updated: February 15, 2012 at 12:51p.m.

Six students went to the hospital for injuries like bloody noses.  The injuries were largely felt by students towards the front of the bus.  One witness said it appeared a student passed out on the scene and was taken by ambulance to the hospital.

The Highway Patrol now confirms the accident happened when the driver of a silver Ford truck crossed the center line on West Georgia Rd. and hit the school bus head on.

Fire crews had to cut that truck driver out before she was rushed to a waiting medical helicopter and flown to Greenville Memorial hospital.

Stanislav Kolesny, a senior ROTC student at Woodmont High School was the first car behind the bus and saw the accident happen.  When it did, he rushed in to help.

"I pulled over to the side and made sure the students were alright, made sure the bus driver was alright. I see the truck's on fire, so I run back inside the bus, grab the fire extinguisher and go to the truck and put it out."

Kolesny said he could see the truck cross the center line in the fog Wednesday morning and knew the crash was about to happen.

Laconda Boyd was also driving behind the bus but did not see the crash.  She said she got out to help the students and started calling their parents.  When she did, she realized two of the students on board were her cousins.  One of them had injured his knee.

"Some of the kids are banged up," she said. "Kids were hysterical so I just started comforting them and calling their parents letting them know the kids were alright."

The Highway Patrol said it would release the names of the bus driver and the driver of the truck later in the afternoon.

Posted: February 15, 2012 at 10:31 a.m.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol is now saying a serious crash in Greenville County does not involve a fatality.

SCHP spokesman Bill Rhyne clarified the situation on the crash that involved a Greenville County School District bus. 

The school district reports six Woodmont Middle School students have been transported to Hillcrest Hospital. One student and the bus driver have been transported to Greenville Memorial.

The accident is located on West Georgia Road in front of the Greenville Tech Brashier Campus.  

A Woodmont High School ROTCV student tells 7 On Your Side's Gordon Dill he was driving behind the bus and saw the crash happen.

He says he got out, grabbed a fire extinguisher and put out a fire on the truck that was involved.

A woman tells Dill she also stopped to help students on the bus when she realized two of the kids on board were he cousins.

SCHP troopers are on the scene.

7 On Your Side will update this story when details become available.