Georgia · Hall County · Traffic & Accidents
Hall County, GA School Bus Accident on Wessell Drive: Kelley Ingram Cited for DUI After Bus Carrying 28 Students Was Struck
The Georgia State Patrol says a minivan heading south on Wessell Drive did not stop at the stop sign at Dixon Drive on Monday afternoon and hit the side of a Hall County school bus with 28 students aboard. Two students and the minivan's driver were taken for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. The driver, Kelley Ingram, 39, of Gainesville, was cited. She has not been convicted of anything.
Key facts
- What
- A 2026 Chrysler Pacifica struck the left side of a 2025 Blue Bird school bus, the Georgia State Patrol says
- Where
- Wessell Drive at Dixon Drive, Hall County, Georgia
- When
- Monday afternoon, Aug. 17, 2026 — shortly after 2:38 p.m., per WSB-TV
- Students aboard
- 28
- Evaluated at the scene
- Six students with initial complaints of injuries
- Taken for treatment
- Two students and the Pacifica's driver, all with non-life-threatening injuries
- Cited
- Kelley Ingram, 39, of Gainesville — DUI and failure to stop at a stop sign. Cited, not convicted.
- Investigating agency
- Georgia State Patrol
- Cause
- GSP says the Pacifica did not stop at the stop sign at the intersection. Nothing beyond that has been established.
- What happened at Wessell Drive and Dixon Drive?
- Who was cited, and what is she accused of?
- How many students were on the bus, and how many were hurt?
- Who was driving the school bus?
- What time was it, and how long was the intersection closed?
- Where is Wessell Drive in Hall County?
- Which agency investigated?
- How do I get the Georgia State Patrol accident report?
- What we don't know yet
- Frequently asked questions
What happened at Wessell Drive and Dixon Drive?
A school bus carrying 28 students was hit by a minivan on Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, at the intersection of Wessell Drive and Dixon Drive in Hall County, the Georgia State Patrol said in a release published by AccessWDUN.
The trooper who investigated determined that a 2026 Chrysler Pacifica was travelling south on Wessell Drive and did not stop at the stop sign at the intersection, according to that release.
The minivan's front bumper hit the left side of the bus, a 2025 Blue Bird, GSP said.
WSB-TV reported the same account from GSP: the Pacifica's driver failed to stop at a stop sign and struck the bus.
| Vehicle | Driver | Occupants | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Chrysler Pacifica, southbound on Wessell Drive | Kelley Ingram, 39, of Gainesville — cited, not convicted | Not released | Taken for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries; recovered from the scene by a towing company |
| 2025 Blue Bird school bus, struck on the left side | Lora Jean Emmett, 54, of Gainesville | 28 students | Six students evaluated at the scene; two taken for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries |
Who was cited, and what is she accused of?
GSP identified the Pacifica's driver as Kelley Ingram, 39, of Gainesville.
Troopers issued her citations for driving under the influence and for failing to stop at a stop sign, both outlets report.
Ingram has been cited, not convicted. A traffic citation is an accusation by an officer, and it is answered in court. No court has made any finding in this case, and she is presumed innocent unless the state proves the case.
Nothing has been released about what led the trooper to the impairment citation — no test result, no substance and no observation has been made public. Where alcohol or drugs are concerned, this report goes no further than the citation itself.
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How many students were on the bus, and how many were hurt?
Twenty-eight students were on the bus when it was hit, GSP said.
Six of them initially reported injuries and were checked at the scene. Two of those six were then transported for treatment of injuries described as non-life-threatening.
Ingram was also taken for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. That accounts for the three people transported.
No student has been named, and nothing beyond "non-life-threatening" has been released about any student's condition. The students are minors and this report will not go past what GSP stated.
Who was driving the school bus?
GSP identified the bus driver as Lora Jean Emmett, 54, of Gainesville, in the release carried by AccessWDUN.
No injury to the bus driver has been reported, and the citations GSP announced were issued to Ingram.
What time was it, and how long was the intersection closed?
WSB-TV places the accident shortly after 2:38 p.m. on Monday afternoon. AccessWDUN reports that troopers were sent to the intersection after 2 p.m. — a looser rendering of the same afternoon, not a competing time.
The intersection was shut for about an hour while EMS crews evaluated the people on the bus and a towing company recovered the Pacifica, according to the GSP release published by AccessWDUN.
GSP issued its release early Tuesday morning, the morning after the accident.
Where is Wessell Drive in Hall County?
Both accounts place the accident at the intersection of Wessell Drive and Dixon Drive, in Hall County, Georgia.
No town, no mile marker, no direction of approach for the bus and no coordinates have been released. AccessWDUN’s account of the GSP release renders the road as both Wessell Drive and Wessell Road; the two names refer to the same intersection in that account.
Gainesville is given as the home city of both drivers. It has not been given as the location of the accident.
Which agency investigated?
The Georgia State Patrol investigated. A trooper worked the scene, GSP issued the release that both outlets are reporting from, and GSP issued the citations.
In Georgia, the agency that works a road accident is generally the agency that holds the report. GSP frequently responds on state routes and unincorporated roads; a city police department typically works accidents inside its own city limits, and a sheriff's office often works unincorporated county roads. Here, GSP is the named investigating agency.
Hall County Schools operates the bus. A school system runs its own internal review of a bus accident, separate from any traffic investigation.
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How do I get the Georgia State Patrol accident report?
Because GSP investigated, the report is held by the Georgia Department of Public Safety, not by Hall County.
DPS says that Georgia law specifies who may obtain a traffic crash report, pointing to the Open Records Act provision at O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72(a)(5). For an accident investigated by the Georgia State Patrol, DPS says a requester may contact a local State Patrol Post or the DPS Open Records Unit, and offers an Open Records Request form that it says helps it locate the record but does not require.
The Open Records Unit is at 959 United Avenue SE, Attention: Open Records Unit, Atlanta, GA 30316, with a phone line at (404) 624-7591 and a fax at (404) 624-7529. DPS asks a requester to supply their full name, mailing address and phone number, the names of the subjects or victims, the records being requested, the Georgia county or city, the date of the incident, and the crash or incident report number if it is known.
DPS notes that requests fall under the Georgia Open Records Act, O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, and that a requester may be billed. For accidents that GSP did not investigate, DPS directs requesters to the Crash Reporting Unit at the Georgia Department of Transportation.
What we don't know yet
- The condition of the two students taken for treatment, beyond GSP describing their injuries as non-life-threatening
- What the four students who were evaluated at the scene and not transported were evaluated for
- Which hospital anyone was taken to
- What the trooper observed or tested that led to the impairment citation
- Whether Ingram has entered any plea, and what court date has been set
- Whether any other citation was issued to anyone
- Which school the bus served, which route it ran, and the bus number
- Whether Hall County Schools has said anything about the accident
- Whether anyone else was in the Chrysler Pacifica
- The exact spelling GSP uses for the road — Wessell Drive and Wessell Road both appear
Frequently asked questions
What happened in the Hall County school bus accident on Wessell Drive?
The Georgia State Patrol says a 2026 Chrysler Pacifica heading south on Wessell Drive did not stop at the stop sign at Dixon Drive and hit the left side of a 2025 Blue Bird school bus with its front bumper. Twenty-eight students were aboard the bus.
When did the Hall County school bus accident happen?
Monday afternoon, Aug. 17, 2026. WSB-TV places it shortly after 2:38 p.m. AccessWDUN reports that troopers were sent to the intersection after 2 p.m.
Where did the accident happen?
At the intersection of Wessell Drive and Dixon Drive in Hall County, Georgia. No town, no mile marker and no coordinates have been released. The road name appears as both Wessell Drive and Wessell Road in the accounts published so far.
Who was cited?
Kelley Ingram, 39, of Gainesville, who the Georgia State Patrol says was driving the Chrysler Pacifica. She was issued citations for driving under the influence and for failing to stop at a stop sign. A citation is an accusation, not a conviction, and no court has decided anything in this case.
Has Kelley Ingram been convicted of DUI?
No. She has been cited. Under Georgia law a person cited with a traffic offense is presumed innocent unless the case is proven in court.
How many students were on the school bus?
Twenty-eight, according to the Georgia State Patrol.
How many people were taken to a hospital?
Three. Two students were transported for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, and Ingram was transported for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
How many students were hurt?
Six students initially reported injuries and were checked at the scene. Two of those six were then taken for treatment. Nothing further about their conditions has been released, and no student has been named.
Who was driving the school bus?
Lora Jean Emmett, 54, of Gainesville, according to the Georgia State Patrol account published by AccessWDUN.
How long was the intersection closed?
About an hour, while EMS crews evaluated the people on the bus and a towing company recovered the minivan, AccessWDUN reports.
Which agency investigated the Hall County school bus accident?
The Georgia State Patrol. A trooper investigated at the scene, and GSP issued a press release early Tuesday morning.
How do I get a copy of the accident report?
If the Georgia State Patrol worked the accident, the report is held by the Georgia Department of Public Safety. DPS says requests go to a local State Patrol Post or to its Open Records Unit at 959 United Avenue SE, Attention: Open Records Unit, Atlanta, GA 30316, or by phone at (404) 624-7591. DPS also notes that Georgia law specifies who may obtain a traffic crash report, at O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72(a)(5).
Sources
- WSB-TV (Cox Media Group), "Driver cited for DUI after hitting school bus in Hall County," by Scott Flynn — published Aug. 18, 2026, 9:14 a.m. ET. The 2:38 p.m. time, the intersection, the 28 students aboard, Ingram's name and age, the 2026 Chrysler Pacifica, the six students treated at the scene, the two students and Ingram transported with non-life-threatening injuries, and the two citations.
- AccessWDUN / AccessNorthGA (Jacobs Media Corporation), "Gainesville woman cited with DUI following collision with Hall Co. bus," by Steve Winslow — published Aug. 18, 2026, 8:27 a.m. ET, reporting from a Georgia State Patrol press release issued early Tuesday. The southbound direction of travel, the front-bumper impact to the left side of the bus, the 2025 Blue Bird bus, bus driver Lora Jean Emmett, 54, of Gainesville, the roughly one-hour closure of the intersection, and the towing recovery.
- Georgia Department of Public Safety — Submit an Open Records Request — the Open Records Unit address, phone and fax, the information a request must contain, the O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72(a)(5) and § 50-18-70 references, and the referral of non-GSP crash reports to the Georgia Department of Transportation.
Compiled by The Local Alert Georgia Staff from two independently owned news outlets and the Georgia Department of Public Safety, each linked above. No student is named. Kelley Ingram has been cited, not convicted, and is presumed innocent. The Local Alert is not a law enforcement agency and not a law firm. Corrections and removal requests: see our corrections policy.
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