School bus overturns in Madison

No children were on board when a Rockingham County schools bus flipped on its side around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday on a rain-slicked Rierson Road.

The bus was driven by Debbie Franz, 44, of Madison. Franz was returning the bus to Western Rockingham Middle School when she lost control at the bottom of a hill on Rierson Road near Lindsay Bridge Road south of Madison, said Highway Patrol Trooper R.W. Hamilton.

“She dropped off the right side of the road and started sliding then she crossed the center line and ran off the road on the left side where she struck a ditch and the bus tipped on its side,” he explained.

“The bus slid on its side about 100 feet or less.” Franz received minor injuries but refused treatment, according to Hamilton. “She said she was going to Moses Cone for treatment,” he said. School district officials on the scene said the bus as “totaled,” according to Hamilton, who added that Franz was described by school officials as a “seasoned” school bus driver.

Franz was given a $151 ticket for a lane violation, Hamilton said. Superintendent Rodney Shotwell said he had limited information about the incident, but he said the driver over-compensated causing the bus to turn on its side.

Staff writer Heather Smith contributed to this report.