LORIS, SC (WBTW) – A crash in Loris on Highway 9 near Green Sea Rd. sent 17 victims to the hospital and left a Virginia Church bus overturned Friday afternoon.
All 13 passengers, 11 teenagers and two adults, were sent to three separate hospitals- Conway Medical Center, McLeod Loris Hospital, and Grand Strand Medical Center.
Four people in the two other cars involved were also sent to hospitals.
Horry County Fire Rescue says their crews arrived within minutes and quickly cleared the scene.
“It was an all-hands effort there for about 30 minutes, and I think in 45 minutes everyone was treated and transported,” says Captain Mark Nugent of Horry County Fire and Rescue.
Now they’re working with local churches and hospitals to reunite the teenaged friends involved in the crash.
“It’s very important to get them all together– just the support they can give each other. We help where we can, but to have them there with their friends, it means a lot to them,” says Nugent.
Horry County Fire Rescue says another bus from the Church in Richmond, Va is on its way to pick up some of the victims who had minor injuries and bring them home.
A local church is helping the visitors by giving them a place to eat and rest until the bus arrives.
Since the group is from out of town, Nugent says the process of bringing everyone back together takes a bit longer than usual.
“That’s what we do. We’ll stay right there with them until those other folks get there, says Nugent. “We’re comfortable that they’re comfortable.”
Five of the 17 patients were released from the hospital. Three are in critical condition, but EMS says they aren’t expecting any of the injuries to be fatal.
