BILLINGS - Three students were injured, including one who was taken to the hospital, following a First Student school bus crash on Billings West End Thursday afternoon, according to Billings Public Schools.
The crash happened around 2 p.m. after a tire blowout near the intersection of Shiloh Road and Neibauer Road, according to the school district.
Watch this video to see the damage:
The fourth student in the bus was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure, according to the district.
All four of the students on board are a part of the Yellowstone Academy and were traveling back from the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch.
Parents Courtney Holmquist and Andrea Bethel rushed to the scene to pick up their children. Homquist said she was worried about what she saw.
"We were lucky," Holmquist said. "It could've been a lot worse. I'm shocked there wasn't more injuries."
The bus traveled nearly 40 feet off the road, narrowly missing the ditch before ending up leaning against a tree.
Bethel said she was frustrated by how she was notified of the crash and even more startled by what she saw.
"They downplayed how severe that accident is," Bethel said. "I thought half of them were going to be severely injured. That's down in a ditch. That's not a couple feet off of the road."