Vidalia — An early-morning accident involving a Vidalia city garbage truck and a school bus carrying Concordia Parish students sent more than 40 students and the bus driver to hospitals.

Vidalia’s Chief of Police Tapper Hendricks said the accident occurred while both vehicles were traveling eastbound on Carter Street in front of Walmart.

Hendricks said beyond that he wasn’t sure what happened.

The accident occurred sometime before 7:10 a.m. and involved only students attending Vidalia schools.

To aid in the investigation, Hendricks has enlisted the Louisiana Sate Police to help reconstruct the accident.

“We need their expertise,” he said.

The bus driver, James Cockerham, sustained the worst injuries of the accident and had to be flown to Jackson for medical care.

His daughter, Pam Frank, said her father broke both legs, had a major cut on his face and lost a massive amount of blood.

Cockerham was in stable condition before going into surgery at approximately 9:30 Wednesday night.

“It’s bad,” Frank said.

And while police have little information about the accident, Cockerham’s own grandson, Brad Cockerham, was on the bus and relayed the events of the accident to his mother.

Nicole Cockerham, Brad’s mother, said her son told her the garbage truck pulled in front of the bus and slammed on the brakes.

Lee Staggs, Vidalia’s street superintendent, oversees the garbage crew and said he still did not have all the details of the accident on Wednesday evening.

He also said he was not at liberty to discuss the information he did have about the accident.

The garbage truck’s driver, James Warner, sustained one broken rib in the accident and his passenger, Lee Collins, received only a bump on the head, Vidalia Mayor Hyram Copeland said.

Shortly after the accident, local emergency rooms quickly filled with students involved.

A female student at Vidalia High School sustained the worst of injuries among students, breaking her hip.

Natchez Regional Medical Center took 13 students in their emergency room.

Kay Ketchings, the hospital’s spokeswoman, said most of the students were treated for scrapes and bruises, while one was treated for a broken hip and another was treated for a broken leg.

At Riverland Medical Center in Ferriday, approximately 30 students were treated for similar injuries, with the exception of one student whose arm was broken in the accident.

Children could be seen all over the emergency room and nervous parents paced in the parking lot outside.

Parent Billy Brixey left work to check on his daughter when she called to tell him about the accident.

Brixey said his daughter, with the exception of some bruising, was mostly scared.

“She’s OK,” he said on Wednesday morning.

Hendricks said the investigation is still ongoing and did not know if either driver would face charges.

“It’s too soon to tell,” he said.

As of Wednesday afternoon, all students had been released from area hospitals except for the student who suffered a broken hip.