Georgia School Football Bus Crash Injures 25, Closes Highway 138

WHO:

NY Post - The bus carried the Salem High School football team.

NY Post - The driver was described as elderly.

FOX 5 Atlanta - The bus carried 17 players, seven trainers, two coaches, and one driver; the Rockdale County School District said it had 27 people aboard.

FOX 5 Atlanta - Head coach Fredrick Green survived the crash and was “doing okay”; he was working to locate where the affected team members were taken for treatment.

FOX 5 Atlanta - The district superintendent was aware of the situation, and the district said it would release more information as it became available.

WHAT:

NY Post - The bus overturned, and 25 people were sent to the hospital.

FOX 5 Atlanta - The bus flipped onto its side, injuring at least 12 people; authorities had not confirmed how many students were injured.

FOX 5 Atlanta - One trainer was airlifted to a medical facility; ambulances took other students and staff to area hospitals.

FOX 5 Atlanta - Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Arthur M. Blank Hospital went on standby for a possible mass-casualty event.

FOX 5 Atlanta - The bus had a shattered windshield, heavy front-end damage, and a partially collapsed roof.

WHERE:

NY Post - The crash occurred on Interstate 20 in Georgia.

FOX 5 Atlanta - The crash occurred on Highway 138 near Interstate 20 in Rockdale County, while the team was being transported home.

FOX 5 Atlanta - First responders cordoned off the corridor near Old Salem Road; the bus came to rest against a construction barrier in a ditch along Salem Road.

FOX 5 Atlanta - An adjacent commercial parking lot was used to stage secondary buses and as a reunification point for uninjured students to contact their families and go home.

WHY:

NY Post - The article said the elderly driver lost control; investigators had not released the cause of the crash.

HOW:

FOX 5 Atlanta - A heavy wrecker hoisted the bus from an embankment, and emergency crews mounted a multi-agency rescue response.

(UPDATED October 25, 2026 01:27 UTC)

A bus carrying Salem High School’s football team overturned in Rockdale County, Georgia, injuring at least 12 people and sending 25 to the hospital. The crash happened on Highway 138 near Interstate 20 as the team was being transported home. The school district said 27 people were aboard, including players, trainers, coaches and the driver. One trainer was airlifted to a medical facility, while ambulances took other students and staff to area hospitals. Head coach Fredrick Green survived and was doing okay as he worked to find out where injured team members were being treated. The bus came to rest in a ditch against a construction barrier, with a shattered windshield, heavy front-end damage and a partially collapsed roof. Emergency crews mounted a multi-agency rescue, using a heavy wrecker to lift the bus from an embankment. Investigators have not confirmed what caused the crash.