Govind Tekale
All 25 people hospitalized after a school bus carrying the Salem High School football team overturned in Conyers, Georgia, have been released from the hospital. State investigators are now examining whether the bus’s brakes failed before the crash.
The crash happened late on Friday, October 23, 2026, at about 10:45 p.m. The Rockdale County school bus was exiting Interstate 20 eastbound onto State Route 138, also known as Old Salem Road. According to the Georgia State Patrol, the 74-year-old driver lost control, crossed the lanes of State Route 138, struck a black Kia Soul, and rolled into a ditch.
Who was on the bus
The bus carried 27 people: 17 football players, 7 student athletic trainers, 2 coaches, and 1 driver. Rockdale County Public Schools’ official statements confirm this passenger count. Of the 27 people aboard, 25 were taken to hospitals. Twenty-two of the 24 students on board were hospitalized, along with 3 adults. One student was airlifted, and at least two students suffered broken femurs, the large bones of the thigh. The driver of the Kia was also hospitalized.
What investigators are examining
The Georgia State Patrol’s Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team and its Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division are both involved in the investigation. The Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division is inspecting the wreckage. The central question is whether mechanical brake failure caused the 74-year-old driver to lose control while exiting Interstate 20 eastbound onto State Route 138.
The bus driver has said the brakes failed, and preliminary video timing may support that account. The state’s formal position is that the official root cause determination remains open pending the mechanical teardown.
Investigators have not determined whether the crash resulted from driver error or from a mechanical brake failure. The answer depends on a mechanical teardown and inspection that has not yet been completed.
Students and families
Extra counselors were deployed to Salem High School on Monday, October 26. The district has reported that all 25 passengers have been released from hospitals. The student passengers included 17 football players and 7 student athletic trainers.
Families with questions about medical bills or liability may wish to keep hospital discharge records before signing any district insurance release. How the state’s findings affect those matters can depend on the specific policies and circumstances involved, so the answers are not the same for every family.
Next steps
The Georgia State Patrol’s mechanical inspection report has not yet been released, and the bus wreckage remains under review. The state has not issued a formal determination of the cause, and the final cause of the crash has not yet been established.
