Chester Co. parent speaks about trauma her child endured in Nashville bus crash

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A Chester County school bus taking students to a conference overturns in Nashville sending 43 students and three adults to the hospital.

“My daughter called and said the bus had flipped over and that she was hurt, but she was helping trying to get the other kids off the bus,” Lisa Bishop, a parent of an injured student, said.

Bishop’s daughter, Chalista Trump, was on the bus, and although she was too upset to go on camera, Lisa shared her daughter’s story.

“She said the bus had swerved to the left, swerved to the right, and the next thing she knew, it flipped over,” Bishop said.

Officials say one of three Chester County school buses heading to a Beta Club conference on Friday over-corrected, hit a guard rail and flipped on its side, sending all 46 passengers tumbling.

The injured were taken to various Nashville hospitals. Twenty-one were transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Ten were taken to TriStar Skyline Medical Center, and nine were taken to Centennial Medical Center.

“She has lacerations to her right arm, upper arm. She did receive stitches, and it was fairly deep,” Bishop said. “Glass was inside the laceration, and she has glass fragments inside her arms.”

Investigators said most were treated and released, but WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News was told two who were taken to Vanderbilt are in critical but stable condition and suffering from broken collar bones.

Police are continuing their investigation into the accident and have not determined if speed was a factor.

Officials say 28-year-old Christina Mathis from Henderson was driving the bus but offered no specific details on her condition.

As for the parents, some are still shaken.

“What is going to be in the future for not only my child but for everyone else’s child that was on the bus and the trauma they are all going to go through,” Bishop said.

She said they are leaning on family and friends to get them through.

“My husband, my other children, friends. If it wasn’t for my friends I probably wouldn’t — I don’t know,” Bishop said.