On Sept. 1 at 12:32 p.m., Charles County Sheriff’s officers responded to the report of a crash involving a school bus in the 6400 block of Ellenwood Drive. Investigation revealed a 1995 Lincoln Continental driven by a 16-year-old La Plata boy was traveling south on Ellenwood when the vehicle crossed the center line and struck a northbound Charles County Public Schools bus head-on.
The driver of the Lincoln, who was trapped in the vehicle and required extensive extrication, and one of his teenage passengers sustained serious injuries. Both were transported by ambulance to Prince George’s Hospital Center and their injuries do not appear to be life-threatening. Another teenage passenger in the vehicle, a 15-year-old La Plata girl, sustained minor injuries and was transported by ambulance to Civista Medical Center. They were all wearing seatbelts.
Per the standard procedure of Charles County Public Schools, the driver of the school bus, Donna Marie Rawlings, 46, of La Plata, and the 29 Milton Somers Middle School students onboard the bus were transported to Civista Medical Center. One student was transported by ambulance for treatment of minor injuries and the rest of the children and the bus driver were transported by another school bus for checkups.
The Lincoln’s speed and wet roads appear to be factors in the crash. Officer S. Burrows of the Traffic Operations Unit is investigating the crash.