A tragic accident occurred on April 17, 2025, when a school bus carrying students from Pine Ridge Middle School in Lexington County, South Carolina, overturned on Interstate 77 in Chester County. The bus was returning from a field trip to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina, when a tire blew out, causing the vehicle to veer off the road, strike a guardrail, and flip onto its side.
Thirteen-year-old Jose Maria Gonzales Linares was killed in the crash due to blunt force trauma. Twenty-one others were injured, with five students remaining in critical condition. The bus was one of three transporting approximately 35 students and three adults; the other two buses were not involved in the incident.
A heartbreaking accident occurred on April 17, 2025, when a school bus carrying middle school students flipped on Interstate 77 in Chester County, South Carolina. The students were returning to Pine Ridge Middle School in Lexington County after a field trip to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Tragically, 13-year-old Jose Maria Gonzales Linares was killed in the crash due to blunt force trauma. The South Carolina Highway Patrol confirmed that the bus veered off the road, struck a guardrail, and overturned after a tire blew out. The incident caused chaos on the highway and resulted in 21 other students being injured, with five reported in critical condition.
The bus was one of three transporting a group of about 35 students and three adults. The other two buses were not involved in the accident. Emergency crews responded quickly, with multiple ambulances and helicopters arriving to assist the injured and transport them to nearby hospitals.
The community is mourning the loss of Jose Maria, and a memorial has been set up at Pine Ridge Middle School. The South Carolina Highway Patrol is conducting a full investigation into the cause of the crash, as safety concerns rise following the devastating inci
dent.