By Shavonne Potts and Holly Fesperman Lee

Salisbury Post

Two people were taken to the hospital Monday morning, one critical, when a car traveling on Old Concord Road hit a school bus head-on.

The bus, number 193, had just left the school system bus garage and was heading to pick up children for Southeast Middle School.

According to the N.C. Highway Patrol, at 6:16 a.m. a 2000 Dodge Intrepid driven by Clarke Caldwell, 57, of Concord, passed a car improperly. The accident was two miles south of Salisbury.

"The vehicle was in a no passing zone. He re-entered the northbound lane and lost control of the vehicle," said Trooper Brad Potts.

The Dodge traveled left of the center lane and collided with the bus in the southbound lane, which was driven by Laurel Adams, 45, of Salisbury.

Adams was taken to Rowan Regional Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.

Potts said Caldwell was airlifted to Carolinas Medical Center.

"I just checked with the hospital and he is very critical," he said late Monday afternoon.

Charges are pending against Caldwell, Potts said.

"Adams was complaining of back injuries. She has since been treated and released but will be out of work for about a week," said Rita Foil, public information officer for Rowan-Salisbury School System.

As far as the condition of the bus, "it was badly damaged and it's probably going to be totaled," Foil said.

She said the system won't know an exact estimate on the damage until the end of the week when state officials come to inspect the bus.

"The front axle fell off, the front bumper is twisted, and the frame was twisted," Foil said.

The school system released alternate buses to pick up the children and take them to Southeast.

The collision happened in front of Mark and Janice Woody's subdivision, Settler's Grove. Although the couple didn't witness the crash, they did hear it.

"It sounded like a plane crashing," Janice Woody said.

While she called 911, her husband rushed outside to see if he could help.

Mark, the head football coach at Carson High School, checked the bus first to see if any children were on board, his wife said.

"The front of the car caught fire and so Mark went to the back of the bus for the fire extinguisher, Janice said.

She recalled her husband trying to pry open the driver's side door of the Dodge, but found it didn't budge.

Mark was trying to get the trapped driver out. At the same time, Janice flagged down cars to slow them down.

She explained the smashed vehicles were blocking the road and she didn't want someone else to get hit.

"It was still dark. No rescue vehicles had gotten there yet," she said.

She said a neighbor came out of his house to help also.

"It was just a horrible accident," Janice said.

Contact Shavonne Potts at 704-797-4253 or spotts@salisburypost.com. Contact Holly Lee at 704-797-7683 or hlee@salisburypost.com.