A school bus carrying pupils to their first day of school Tuesday at Northwestern Elementary School in Clark County, Ohio, was involved in a crash, killing one student and injuring 23.

The student, who did not have access to a seatbelt, was ejected from the ultimately overturned bus. First responders declared the child, who was not publicly named, dead on-site.

The crash happened at around 8:16 a.m., as the Northwestern Local Schools bus was traveling westbound on Ohio Route 41 in German Township.

A 2010 Honda Odyssey minivan driven by Hermanio Joseph, 35, was traveling eastbound when Mr. Joseph purportedly veered left of the center-lane line.

The bus driver, Joseph Collier, 68, tried to avoid Mr. Joseph but the bus was still struck, going off the right side of Route 41 and overturning, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

There were 52 students on board the bus along with Mr. Collier, according to the Associated Press. There were no seatbelts for the children onboard, including the deceased.

Of the other students, 23 were injured, of whom one was hospitalized for serious, life-threatening injuries. The other 22 were also hospitalized, but their injuries were not considered life-threatening; 12 were taken for care by ambulance, while 10 were driven by their parents, the AP wrote.

Mr. Joseph and his passenger, Roberto Mompremier, 37, were also both hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, OSHP said. Mr. Collier, meanwhile, suffered minor injuries and was not taken to a hospital.

The crash is still being investigated, OSHP said.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.