West Virginia State Police announced Monday that a bus driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after a crash that sent multiple injured students to the hospital.
Jeffrey Brannon, 54, has been charged with multiple counts of DUI and child neglect resulting in death, State Police Lt. Robert Maddy announced in a press release Tuesday.
Muddy said police were called to the scene of a school bus crash on West Virginia Route 16 in Calhoun County at 6 p.m. Monday. Officials said Brannon lost control of the bus off the right side of the roadway and overcorrected, causing the bus to overturn in the middle of Route 16.
Eight children injured in Virginia school bus crash
At the time, there were 19 students on the Calhoun County school system bus. Several people were taken to area hospitals for treatment of injuries, Maddy said. One child suffered a spinal fracture and another suffered a concussion, according to a criminal complaint filed in Calhoun County Magistrate Court.
The complete number and severity of injuries is not known.
A West Virginia man has been arrested on suspicion of drunk driving after losing control of his school bus and crashing, sending multiple students to the hospital. (Fox News)
Brannon was inside the bus when state police arrived and “started screaming and acting aggressive,” said Sgt. Brian Young wrote in the complaint. When Young went to take Brannon’s statement, he said he could smell alcohol on Brannon’s breath and asked if he had been drinking. Young said Brannon replied, “Yes.”
A field breath test showed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.161%. A separate test conducted by the Grantsville State Police Detachment revealed a blood alcohol level of 0.127 percent. West Virginia’s legal limit is 0.08%.
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Bail in Calhoun County Magistrate Court was set at $250,000, and Brannon was transported to Central Regional Jail, Maddy said. Contact information for Brannon was not immediately available Tuesday. Court records do not indicate whether he has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.
Phone and email messages left with the Calhoun County Schools Superintendent’s Office were not immediately returned Tuesday.
Police are still investigating.
