Georgia bus driver charged in Friday morning bus crash

Shortly before 8:15 a.m. today (March 2, 2018), Virginia State Police responded to a bus crash in Pulaski County.

A bus from West Georgia Technical College was traveling northbound on I-81 near the 104 mile marker when the bus drifted into the right lane, side-swiping a tractor trailer. Following the collision, the bus ran off the left side of the road, overcorrected then ran off the road a second time before it struck an embankment and overturned.

All 13 passengers on the bus suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were transported to nearby hospitals for treatment. They are being housed at Radford Hospital while awaiting a replacement bus from the college.

The bus driver – Willie F. Walker, 59, of Carrollton, GA – was arrested and charged with DUI-D (Driving While Under the Influence of Drugs) and possession of marijuana. Fatigue is being investigated as a factor.  Mr. Walker was transported to the New River Valley Regional Jail.

The crash remains under investigation.