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Driver in school bus crash died at the scene, first responders say

A wrecker put a school bus upright after the bus flipped on its side earlier Tuesday morning..

By Lightning Reports, Published: November 2, 2021

A 53-year-old school bus driver was found to be deceased at the scene after the bus slid into a ditch and flipped on its side on Green River Road shortly before 7 a.m. today, the school system said.

Four students from the Flat Rock Middle and East Henderson High district were transported to a local hospital for observation and evaluation after the accident, the school system's public information office said.

"We are exceedingly sad to confirm that after a bus accident early this morning, Henderson County Public Schools lost one of our beloved bus drivers from East Henderson High. Tina Gordon, 53, has been part of the HCPS Family for 10 years, and our hearts are heavy as we mourn her loss," public information officer Molly McGowan Gorsuch said in an email.

While on scene, first responders determined that Gordon was deceased, and next of kin notifications have been made. The cause of Gordon’s death is unknown at this time. The school district’s Crisis Response Teams deployed to the schools affected by the accident and were made available to support students and staff in our school communities.  

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Ms. Gordon’s family and our greater school communities," Gorsuch said.

The bus crash happened about 6:50 a.m. Tuesday. The N.C. Highway Patrol, EMS and public school system staff responded to the scene, and the investigation into the accident is ongoing. The accident occurred on a straight stretch of Green River Road west of the Falling Creek Camp entrance when the westbound bus slid off the road and into a ditch and toppled over on its side. The children on board were out and walking around after the crash, a first responder on the scene said.

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