BY BETH VELLIQUETTE

bvelliquette@heraldsun.com; 419-6632

CHAPEL HILL -- A school bus carrying 29 children hit a truck and then crashed into a tree Monday afternoon near Glenwood Elementary School after the gas pedal reportedly got stuck.

No one on the bus was injured.

The bus driver reported that after he left the school on Prestwick Road and turned left on Hamilton Road, the gas pedal got stuck, causing the bus to accelerate unexpectedly, said Stephanie Knott, spokeswoman for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.

The bus hit the back of a food delivery truck, careened off that and accelerated a second time and hit a tree, Knott said.

A second bus was brought to the scene, and another bus driver drove the route to take the children home, she said.

Standard protocol, based on federal laws, required the school system to place the driver on administrative leave to be tested for drugs or alcohol use, Knott said.

The food truck and the bus were damaged in the collision, Knott said.

The bus was towed, and mechanics began checking it to determine if the bus had a mechanical problem, Knott said.

Police are investigating the crash, said Capt. Jackie Carden of the Chapel Hill Police Department.