Bus driver on leave after crash in downtown Charleston that injured students and drivers

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – A bus driver cited in a Monday crash that hospitalized five people has now been placed on leave pending an investigation.

Justin Devon Burke is the first student bus driver who police have determined contributed to the crash and was driving too fast for the conditions, according to a police report.

First Student released a statement on the matter Friday morning:

First Student is investigating the incident that occurred on November 11, 2024. While our investigation into this matter continues, the driver has been placed on administrative leave.

Charleston County School District officials said Burke was driving on Morrison Drive with four Daniel Jenkins Academy students on board at the time of the collision. EMS took Burke, three of those students and the driver of a GMC pickup to the hospital for injuries sustained in that incident.

The Charleston County School District previously released the following statement about the accident:

Charleston County School District will review the incident with First Student to determine if corrective action is needed and if accidents like this can be prevented in the future.

The Charleston Police Department incident report shows that Burke was driving the speed limit on a wet road, around a curve on Morrison Drive near Isabella Street, southbound at the time of the accident. According to the report, Burke lost control of the bus due to the rain and wet road, swerved into the opposite lanes and collided head-on with the GMC pickup, which was traveling north.

Police said the three students and the bus driver were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. The condition of the driver of the pickup is still unclear.

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