CARROLL COUNTY, TN — A Clarksville middle school field trip ended in tragedy Friday when a school bus carrying 24 students crashed head-on into a state dump truck, killing two eighth graders and injuring dozens more.
Zoe Davis and Arianna Pearson, both Kenwood Middle School students, were killed when the bus collided with a Tennessee Department of Transportation dump truck on Highway 70 near Cedar Grove. Nine medical helicopters responded to the scene, with seven completing flights to trauma centers in Memphis and Nashville.
The students were on their way to Jackson, Tennessee for the Greenpower USA Toyota Hub City Grand Prix, where they planned to race an electric car they had spent all year building from scratch.
‘Get the Kids’
Xaviel and Rosalee Lugo were following the bus carrying their daughter, Xelani, when they witnessed the crash.
“I didn’t initially see the dump truck that was coming, and then it’s just like, you heard the sound, and then you saw like a fireball kind of happen,” Xaviel Lugo said.
Both parents immediately jumped into action and started pulling children out of the bus — before they even knew if their own daughter was safe. They say one of the teachers, Mr. Winn, was helping despite being injured.
“He was bleeding and he couldn’t hardly see,” Xaviel said. “He said he couldn’t see very much, but he was like, ‘Get the kids, get the kids.'”
Their daughter Xelani survived but described the aftermath as chaos.
“The whole front of my face was hurting. The back of my head and the top of my head was hurting. There were sirens going off. There were people screaming and crying.”
What Dash Cam Footage Shows
Dash cam video obtained by investigators shows the Montgomery County school bus drifting across the center line around a curve before colliding head-on with the dump truck. The dump truck caught fire while the bus struck a Chevrolet Trailblazer traveling behind the truck and then slid nose-first into a ditch.
According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol’s most recent update, 29 people were on board: 24 students, four adults, and the driver, identified as Sabrina R. Ducksworth. Investigators say the TDOT truck does not appear to be at fault.
THP’s Critical Incident Response Team, along with its Pupil Transportation Division, is leading the ongoing investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board has also opened an inquiry.
Community in Mourning
Flags at all Montgomery County and Clarksville government facilities have been lowered to half-staff through Friday, April 3.
Kenwood students returned to class Monday with several empty seats. Multiple gatherings and vigils have been held at the school over the weekend.
Student Bryson Raigan, who remains hospitalized in Memphis with a broken leg and pelvis, described trying to stay calm in the moments after the crash.
“When it all happened, I was actually very calm,” Raigan said. “I remember trying to look for everybody else before I started checking on myself.”
He remembered Zoe as quiet and Arianna as well-known, saying he “always looked up to her.”
Community Support
Mollybees Tees and Embroidery in Clarksville opened Sunday — a day the business is typically closed — to sell shirts benefiting affected families. Dozens of people lined up before the store opened, with the line stretching into the afternoon.
One of the shirts read: “Two shining lights, forever our Knights.”
“That could have been any of us,” said Kenwood seventh-grader Marley Taylor.
The Clarksville-Montgomery County Education Foundation and Q108 have launched a fundraising campaign for the affected families.
Highway 70, where the crash occurred, has had nearly a dozen fatal or serious injury crashes since 2022, according to Tennessee Highway Patrol data. State lawmakers have already proposed legislation requiring seatbelts and safety upgrades on school buses in response to the tragedy.
The investigation remains ongoing. Additional details will be released as they become available.