Georgia state troopers charged a Demorest man with DUI after the vehicle he was driving crashed into a Habersham County school bus. No children were onboard the bus at the time of the wreck, state troopers say.
Both vehicles were heavily damaged in the collision, which shut down a section of Mud Creek Road outside Cornelia for about an hour.
Emergency and law enforcement personnel responded to the scene shortly before 3 p.m. on Thursday, August 31.
According to the Georgia State Patrol’s preliminary accident report, 46-year-old Joshua Clark Ryals was driving a BMW X3 south on Mud Creek Road when he veered into the northbound lane. The BMW struck the front of a 2019 Thomas 221TS school bus driven by 38-year-old Emilie Baker of Demorest.
The wreck did not injure Baker or the bus monitor who was onboard. Ryals sustained possible minor injuries but was not transported for treatment, the state patrol says.
In addition to DUI, troopers charged Ryals with failure to maintain his lane.
Authorities arrested Ryals and booked him at the Habersham County jail. A judge set his bond at $1727.50, online jail records show. As of late Thursday, Ryals remained in jail.
