Tour Bus Accident Sends 14 To Hospital

WHALEYVILLE -- A late afternoon crash involving a tour bus and a passenger vehicle near Whaleyville sent 14 people to Atlantic General Hospital with injuries varying in severity.

Around 4:05 p.m. on Tuesday, Maryland State Police troopers responded to a reported motor vehicle collision with multiple injuries on Route 610 just east of Peerless Rd. in Whaleyville. The investigation revealed the two vehicles involved, a 2004 Honda Civic and a 1998 Blue Bird tour bus, were both traveling eastbound on Route 610. When the Honda, driven by Daniel Elton Nelson, 27, slowed to make a turn into a driveway, the bus, driven by Roger Coston Hornsby, 67, of Salisbury, ran into the back of the passenger vehicle, according to police reports.

The bus struck the back rear of the passenger vehicle before running off the highway and into a roadside ditch. Both drivers, Nelson and Hornsby, along with the 12 passengers on the bus, reportedly Mountaire Farms employees, were taken to Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin for treatment of their injuries, none of which were believed to be life-threatening.

Emergency services crews responded to the scene from several area fire companies including Berlin, Showell, Bishopville and Selbyville. The eastbound lanes of Route 610 were closed for a short time and the westbound lanes also saw temporary closures as crews worked to transport the victims and clear the roadway.

The investigation is ongoing and charges are pending against Hornsby. Incidentally, Hornsby was cited for speeding while driving the same bus on Whaleyville Rd. in August and was later found guilty and fined $70.