Mother of twins on crashed Chester Co. school bus shares story

JACKSON, Tenn –Friday morning a Chester county school bus, carrying dozens of students, overturned just outside of Nashville. There were 43 students and 3 adults on the bus, 33 were sent to different hospitals across the Nashville area to be treated. Out of all involved, 3 patients remain at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

A spokesperson for the hospital said although two of the three were considered critical but stable as of Friday, now all three are in stable condition. WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News found out that family members are there with the three remaining patients.

As for those students who were injured but released on Friday many people are wondering how they are doing after this traumatic experience. WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News spoke with a mother who had two children on the school bus.

As first responders worked to get 43 students and 3 adults help after the devastating crash many parents left their jobs midday to see if their children were okay. Kim Cox, a mother, had two twin boys on the bus: Ethan and Evan Cox.

“I got a call from Ethan he was letting me know there had been a crash and that he felt sure that his collar bone was broken.” Cox said.

Kim said Evan did not suffer any major injuries, his twin brother Ethan was the one hospitalized for hours.

“He was released about 11 o clock last night and we got home about 1:30 this morning.”

The family was at the hospital for so long because doctors had to decide whether or not Ethan would have to undergo surgery.

Kim said “when the orthopedist was finally able to go through all the sets of x-rays they had done a couple of times yesterday he decided that it would be able to heal on its own.”

Now that the boys are back home Kim says the healing process begins.

“He has a good bit of pain but he has medication for the pain and otherwise it is just a recovery.” Kim said “he’s in a sling and on pain meds and he will fully recover so it’s really good news.”

Many families are still feeling the aftermath of the crash and as a parent Kim said this is a great opportunity to connect with the kids while they get through this time.

“I think it’s just really important that we all do allow them to talk and allow them to process their experiences and not even with the best of intentions shut them down as their processing all of this.”

Kim says Ethan can be excused from school, but if he continues to improve and if he feels ready then she says they will see him Monday morning. There were two other buses traveling along with the one that overturned. Students were headed to a leadership convention for the weekend in Nashville.