A bus carrying a group of 82nd Airborne Division soldiers from Fort Bragg crashed in North Carolina en route to an appreciation event at a Charlotte Hornets basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 9, local media reports.
The crash occurred in Sanford, about 109 miles from Charlotte. Sgt. Malachi Thornton told WRAL that no soldiers had been injured and that the crash was triggered by a Ford Escape ”driving erratically in the left lane.”
State Highway Patrol told WTVD that a car traveling south on N.C. Highway 87 crossed the center line, hit another car and sideswiped a Walmart tractor-trailer. The car bounced off the truck and then struck the charter bus head-on, WTVD reported.
Medical helicopters responded to the scene of the crash, which took place at around 1:45 p.m., according to WTVD.
The driver of the other car was taken to a hospital, and the driver of the soldiers’ bus was injured, WNCN reported. At the time, the soldiers still planned to go to the basketball game, WTVD reported.
A second bus was also towed from the scene, WNCN reported.
“As soon as the accident happened, and I was able to get on the ground and assess make sure our soldiers were safe, I noticed that three of our paratroops were trying to render first aid best they could,” Thornton told WRAL.
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