During the Wetzel County Board of Education meeting held Tuesday evening, Ancillary Services Director Brian Jones shared with the board details of a minor accident that took place earlier that morning involving a county bus.

At approximately 9:20 a.m. bus No. 46, operated by Matt Day, was stopped, headed west, at the one-lane bridge on the east end of Green Acres in Wetzel County when a white tractor pulling an empty trailer crossed the bridge and made contact with the rear driver side of the bus.

The tractor trailer did not stop and Day contacted dispatch to report the incident. Law enforcement found the tractor trailer parked at the staging area located at the foot of Brock Ridge Road on state Route 7.

The appropriate schools were promptly contacted and the 11 students who were on the bus at the time of the incident were identified at the schools and checked for any apparent injuries. Principals Fay Pritchard and Kathi Schmalz contacted the parents of those students to inform them of the event.

Jones explained the incident is under investigation and he is waiting for additional information from law enforcement.

Also, Chesapeake Energy’s Amy Dobkin was contacted and Jones said she would also investigate.

It was noted by Jones that appropriate persons from oil and gas companies are notified when school bus traffic schedules are altered due to snow delays and the like. Wetzel County Schools were operating on a two-hour delay Tuesday. At this time it is unknown what caused the accident.

Superintendent Diane Watt and the rest of the board commended the principals and Jones on their successful efforts in handling the situation and in following up with the students’ parents on the incident.