NEW ORLEANS — Nine students were taken to the emergency room after a a school bus overturned on Interstate 10 in New Orleans Wednesday morning.
Orleans Parish Schools Superintendent Henderson Lewis said the school bus was carrying 15 students to James M Singleton Charter School when it struck the left guard rail and overturned just after 7 a.m. near Louisa Street.
Six students were taken to University Medical Center and three to Children's Hospital New Orleans. Six others were picked up by parents or guardians from the scene and taken to Children's Hospital as well.
All students were released from the hospitals by the end of day Wednesday, Orleans Parish School Board officials said.
The crash closed all lanes of I-10 west, causing heavy delays during morning rush hour. All lanes were reopened as around 9 a.m.,
Louisiana DOTD cameras showed the bus overturned in the far left lane with significant damage to the driver's side cabin area.
A WWL-TV investigation found the bus had never been inspected and was driven by an unpermitted driver.
Police officials said they spoke to the bus driver, Chad Rodney, and the cause of the accident was under investigation. Rodney was denied a permit in September because of a 2016 conviction for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.
Rodney was cited for careless operation and may face additional citations as the investigation continues, NOPD said.
Click here for live traffic conditions from WWL-TV's Traffic Center.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.