PRESTONSBURG, Ky. (LEX 18) — On Feb. 28, 1958 one of the most painful pieces of Kentucky history occurred.
A school bus carrying 48 elementary and high school students slid down a hillside into the Big Sandy River near Prestonsburg, Ky. 22 children were able to escape but 26 children and the bus driver perished in the icy cold water.
At the time, it was the worst school bus crash in US history. Now, the crash ties the death toll for the third-highest number of fatalities resulting from a bus crash and is one of the worst traffic accidents involving school children in U.S. history.
A memorial to those who lost their lives in this accident currently sits in front of the old Floyd County Courthouse in Prestonsburg.
Here is a photo of the victims, so that we may honor their memory:
