It's a parent's worst nightmare; school children being injured or killed in a motor vehicle accident as they are riding on the school bus. It came true in Greenville earlier this week. Authorities say the bus driver and six middle school students were hurt when a woman in a pickup truck swerved across the center line of West Georgia Road and collided head on with the bus.

It's not clear from the media reports up to this point as to how seriously the seven were hurt in this two-vehicle crash. Witnesses do say they saw a number of the victims with bloody faces and one student was said to have been passed out. The bus's driver had to be cut out of the wreckage by rescuers. All were hospitalized, according to authorities.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol says the accident happened Wednesday morning. Witnesses say conditions were foggy, but not horribly. As soon as the crash occurred, drivers behind the bus stepped in to help. One high school senior told reporters that he started by making sure no one was dead. Then, he says he noticed the pickup truck was on fire, so he climbed on the bus, grabbed a fire extinguisher and went to put out the flames.

There is no indication that the 42-year-old woman who was driving the pickup truck suffered any injury. The Highway Patrol does say that she has been charged with driving under the influence.

Whether she has been arraigned or any other information regarding her case is not known at the time we are writing this post.

Source: WSPA-TV, "Driver Of Truck That Hit School Bus Charged With DUI," Feb. 15, 2012