Three Injured in Crash Involving a School Bus and a Chevy Blazer

The driver and eighteen students aboard a DeKalb County school bus escaped injury Tuesday afternoon after being involved in a traffic accident near the school zone at the intersection of North Congress Boulevard and Smith Road in front of Northside Elementary School. However, three people in the 1992 Chevy Blazer that struck the bus, including a two year old child, were hurt in the crash and taken to the hospital.
Central Dispatch received the call at 2:45 p.m.
Lieutenant Randy Maynard of the Tennessee Highway Patrol says bus # 3, driven by 81 year old Walter Phillips, had just left the school with the students and was on Smith Road, turning south on Highway 56 when a Chevy Blazer, driven by 23 year old Kenny Waymon Dyal, Jr. of Smithville, struck the bus. Dyal was traveling north on Highway 56 (North Congress Boulevard)The impact damaged the rear left side of the bus and detached the rear axle from the frame. The bus had to be towed away and the blazer was totaled.
Director of Schools Mark Willoughby told WJLE that none of the students aboard the bus were hurt. After the accident, the students remained on the bus while their parents were contacted. Some parents came to the scene to pick up their children. Other students on board the bus were loaded onto another bus to be taken home. Mr. Phillips was also uninjured.
Lieutenant Maynard says three others were in the Blazer with Dyal, 22 year old Ashley LeAnn Spivey and their children, a two year old girl and a one year old boy. Both Dyal and Spivey suffered facial injuries and Spivey had a dislocated elbow. Neither of them were wearing their seatbelts. They were taken by DeKalb EMS to DeKalb Community Hospital. The children were in child restraint devices and the one year old was not injured. However, Lieutenant Maynard said it was later discovered that both legs of the two year old girl were broken. The child was treated at the hospital here and later she and her mother, Spivey were taken by ambulance to Vanderbilt Hospital for further treatment. It’s not known at this time if the child was properly secured in the child restraint.
Lieutenant Maynard says Dyal was charged with failure to exercise due care, violation of the financial responsibility law (no insurance), and violation of the seat belt law. He says there could be another citation issued against one of the drivers as a result of the investigation.
Lieutenant Maynard was assisted by Trooper Darrell Knowles of the Tennessee Highway Patrol.. Others rendering assistance included the Smithville Police and Fire Departments and the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department. Mr. Willoughby and other school officials were also on site during the investigation.