Bus wreck sends man to Erlanger

A school bus turns in front of a pickup in Gordon County.

CALHOUN —A bus driver was cited with failure to yield the right of way Thursday morning in a wreck involving a Ford Ranger.

Just after 6:30 a.m., troopers with the Georgia State Patrol responded to the wreck, which happened on Highway 225 at the I-75 intersection in Calhoun. A Gordon County school bus, driven by Cody Priest, 26, of Calhoun, was traveling north on Highway 225 in the left turn lane, entering the path of a 1997 Ford Ranger, driven by Clark Rogers, 54, of Resaca, who was traveling south on Highway 225. The Ford Ranger was unable to avoid a collision, according to the accident report from the GSP, and struck the left front of the bus with the left front of his vehicle.

After impact, both vehicles came to a rest facing north on the I-75 ramp. The area of impact was determined by an offset skid mark produced by the Ford Ranger.

According to the report, Priest told investigators he did not have a green left turn arrow at the time of the accident. A video of the incident taken from inside the school bus shows the bus making a left turn when the light was yellow.

Rogers was taken by ground to Hamilton Medical Center in Dalton with many injuries, including a dislocated left hip, pelvic bone fracture, fractured right leg, fractured orbital socket and damage to his mouth. According to family members, he was then taken from Hamilton Medical Center to Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga early Thursday afternoon, where he was assessed and scheduled to undergo surgery Friday morning. Brandi Owczarz,

Calhoun Times