It happened around 7 a.m. on U.S. Highway 70 at Uzzle Industrial Drive, between Clayton and Smithfield.
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Officials told ABC11 that bus number 63 was headed to Smithfield Middle School with 12 students on board when it was hit from behind as it attempted to slow to pick up a student.
Security camera video from a nearby business nearby shows conditions were very foggy at the time of the crash. Only the flashing lights of the bus are visible as the truck hits it, and then the bus continues to roll down the highway and out of the right of the camera frame.
» Click here to watch the video «
Five students and the driver of the bus were immediately taken to the hospital. Two more students were later taken to be checked out after their parents arrived at the scene. By noon, six of the students and the driver had been treated and released. The remaining student suffered minor injuries and was expected to be released.
"God blessed the protection of the children today," offered Wilson's Mills Police Chief David Hess.
The driver of the truck, Kenneth Green, was also taken to the hospital. He was last listed in critical condition at WakeMed.
Police said Green will be charged with failure to yield and not wearing a seatbelt. Investigators acknowledged that the fog was a contributing factor in the crash.
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