Vidalia — Some students involved in Wednesday’s bus accident in Vidalia are still recuperating, and specifics about the accident are still sparse.

Calls to the Vidalia Police Department went unreturned Friday.

Louisiana Sate Trooper Scott Moreau said the state police were assisting the VPD in the investigation.

Once the investigation is completed, the findings will be turned over to the VPD, Moreau said.

Moreau said information gathered in the investigation would only be shared with the VPD, and he did not know how long the investigation would take.

Wednesday’s accident sent more than 40 Vidalia school students to area hospitals.

James Cockerham, the bus driver, was critically injured in the accident and had to be airlifted to Jackson for medical attention.

On Friday afternoon, Concordia Parish Schools Superintendent Loretta Blankenstein said she was only aware of two students that were not back in class as of Friday.

Blankenstein said one student with a fractured leg and one student with a broken hip were the only students she knew of that had not returned to school.

Additional counselors have been brought into the schools to counsel any students in need, Blankenstein said.

“It was a very traumatic experience,” Blankenstein said of the crash. “And we want to provide any support we can.”

Ashley Rice, 14, is a student at Vidalia Junior High School and sustained a broken hip in the accident.

It was previously reported that Rice was at Vidalia High School.

Rice’s mother, April Toney, said Rice’s hip was broken in three places and pins were needed to hold it in place while Rice recovers.

“She’s OK,” Toney said. “She’s just in a lot of pain.”

On Friday, Rice was released from a Jackson hospital where she was sent after the accident.

Cockerham is still in that same hospital.

On Friday evening Pam Frank, Cockerham’s daughter, said her father spent most of the day in surgery.

That operation was supposed to have corrected facial fractures and repaired serious fractures in both of his legs. However, Frank said her father’s blood pressure became too high during the facial operation, and the rest of the operations were postponed until Monday.

“They’re giving him some time to rest but they’re optimistic,” she said of the hospital’s staff.