Charges Filed In Fatal Church Bus Crash In South Fulton

ATLANTA, GA -- Charges have been filed in the church bus crash in South Fulton that killed a 17-year-old girl and injured 21 others on a busy Atlanta street, Fulton County law enforcement officials.

The church bus driver, Jerry Sims, has been charged with vehicular homicide and failure to maintain lane, according to news reports. Sims is still recovering in the hospital from injuries sustained in the crash.

The bus was filled with a youth group and their chaperones from Mount Zion Baptist Church in Huntsville when it collided with a Mercedes on June 8 on Camp Creek Parkway near East Point. Authorities allege that Sims, who was traveling east, crossed the median and entered into the westbound lanes. SIGN UP: To get notified of more local news like this, click here to sign up for the Atlanta Patch. Or find your Atlanta-area town here. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.

Sims' attorney said that his client is getting strong support as he mends from his injuries:

"My client, Jerry Sims, has been charged with failure to maintain lane and homicide by vehicle - 2nd degree," the attorney said in a statement, according to WSB-TV. "These charges are misdemeanor traffic offenses because neither drugs nor alcohol were involved in the accident. Jerry, who is still recovering in the hospital, has received nothing but love and support from the families affected by the accident and the fellowship of the entire Christian community.”

The crash, which was was so violent that the bus flipped over, sent multiple people to area hospitals, including Grady Memorial, Atlanta Medical Center South and Southern Regional Medical Center.

Sarah Harmening, an Alabama teen, was the only fatality in the crash. Sarah's funeral was held at at Mt. Zion Baptist Church earlier this week, drawing more than 1,000 people.

In her last journal entry, which she composed while on the bus en route to Atlanta., Sarah said that she was looking forward to her trip to do missionary work in Africa.

"I was just sitting here (on) the bus feeling a little sad. I guess because I'm going to be gone so long and I was a little uncomfortable. Then I decided to read my Bible. I prayed and opened up to 1 Peter 5 and 2 Peter 1. Pretty much everything I read applies to me now," Harmening wrote in the message shared on WAGA-TV's website.

The day of the crash, Madison County, Alabama Commissioner Phil Vandiver told reporters that "this is a tough time for Mount Zion Baptist Church," adding that he was a member and that his wife and son were on the bus and survived the collision.

Vandiver asked that people pray for the other church members on the bus, made up of mostly 11th and 12th graders. "We'd also like you to pray for the other cars involved in it, too. We hadn't gotten any updates on them. There could be injuries," he said.

The youth group were traveling to Hartsfield Airport to fly to Africa for missionary work in Botswana.

Image via Google Street View