RIDGEWAY – A Winnsboro man was killed Monday afternoon after his car collided with a Fairfield County school bus on Peach Road.
Fairfield County Coroner Barkley Ramsey said Taver Cook, 45, was trapped inside his 1990 Oldsmobile 98 Regency as it burst into flames after crashing into and becoming pinned underneath the school bus. Cook, of 6025 Reservoir Road, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Dr. J.R. Green, Superintendent of Fairfield County Schools, said two Middle School and five High School students were on the bus at the time of the crash. The students and the driver were taken to Fairfield Memorial Hospital but suffered no injuries.
“We are sad to hear about the driver,” Green said Monday evening, “but we are thankful there were no other injuries.”
The collision occurred just after 4 p.m. Monday at the intersection of Peach and McCorkle roads, approximately 4.5 miles west of Ridgeway. Cook was traveling east on Peach Road, while the bus was making a left turn onto Peach Road from McCorkle Road.
The accident is being investigated by the S.C. Highway Patrol.
