Aide remembered, schools close after deadly bus crash
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A day after two children and one adult were killed and 23 people were injured after two school buses collided, no classes will be held at two local schools.
Knox County Schools announced hours after the crash Tuesday that there will be no school at Sunnyview Primary and Chilhowee Intermediate.
Counselors will be at the two schools from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. They will be available to talk with students, faculty, and parents.
There will also be counselors at other area schools as needed.
Police said a Knox County School bus from Chilhowee Elementary School was traveling east on Asheville Highway when the bus made a sharp left-hand turn and crossed over a concrete median.
The bus hit the side of another bus traveling west on Asheville Highway carrying students from Sunnyview Elementary School. The second bus flipped onto its side and continued sliding until it came to a stop across both west bound lanes.
The adult killed in the crash, was confirmed by Mount Calvary Baptist Church senior pastor, Leroy Franklin, as one of his two youth ministers, Kim Riddle.
Franklin met with Riddle's husband and other relatives on Tuesday to comfort them during their time of tragedy.
He said, "Her dream was to work for Knox County (Schools) and she started working for Knox County (Schools) this year."
Riddle and her husband have two young children. Franklin said, "I think her dealing with her own children helped her develop her passion for other children."
Riddle's passion for children is evident in her church office. Her desk is covered with papers dealing with children's ministry along with other memories of a youth minister and an educator who leaves behind a family, a church, and a school system.
"She died doing what she loved in quest of her dream," Franklin said. What a way to go. What a way. She died where she loved the most, among children pursuing that dream."