HALL COUNTY, Ga. — The driver of a Ford Mustang involved in a fatal head-on collision into a Hall County school bus has been charged, officials confirmed.
The crash left a 13-year-old girl dead in the Wednesday morning incident.
According to Hall County officials, the Mustang crashed into the school bus near the intersection of Thompson Bridge Road and Yellow Creek Road. The Georgia Department of Transportation said there were nearly 20 people on the bus including the children and the bus driver.
All students and the driver of the school bus were taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center for evaluation as a precaution. Ultimately, three students on the bus had minor injuries but each student was checked individually by doctors.
Dawson County Schools Superintendent Damon Gibbs said 13-year-old Summer Faith Anderson was identified as the teen killed in the early-morning wreck. A Kilough Elementary School fifth-grader, identified as 12-year-old Zachary Anderson, was also riding in the Mustang and suffered serious injuries. He was transported to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.
According to Georgia State Patrol, the driver of the Mustang was Lonnie Anderson, 33. Authorities say he was driving north on Georgia Route 60 when he hit a patch of water and hydroplaned. The Mustang then went into the southbound lanes on Route 60 and hit the school bus head-on.
Anderson also suffered serious injuries.
On Thursday, authorities confirmed they would be charging him with failure to maintain lane and slick tires, once his medical condition improves. He could also be facing charges of second degree homicide by vehicle, but that will dependent on the State Court Solicitor of Hall County.
