DOVER, Del.- A charter bus carrying the Delaware State University women's bowling team met with a harrowing accident on Thursday morning on Interstate 85 in Dinwiddie County, Virginia.
The bus went off the road and flipped over, causing injuries to all 11 passengers, including the driver. According to the Virginia State Police, the crash occurred around 11 a.m.
The team was en route to a tournament in North Carolina when the incident happened.
The passengers recount the terrifying moments that followed the crash. "You know like balls were being thrown everywhere stuff was being thrown everywhere bodies were in the air it was just very traumatic people were screaming people were moaning," said Emily Breidegam, a sophomore on the bowling team.
She was asleep when the accident happened and woke up to find the bus flipping mid-air. "There was stuff flying everywhere, and I just remember trying to deathly grab onto the seat in front of me to stay where I was at," she added.
Fortunately, all passengers survived the accident, but several of them suffered injuries, and four team members are still hospitalized.
Alyssa Breidegam, Emily's older sister, was ejected from the bus when it overturned. "All of the bowling balls pretty much exploded, and they were flying through the air, and I just so happened to land on one, which is why I got medevacked," she said.
The team is now grappling with the aftermath of the accident, and the Breidegam sisters fear that the memory of the crash may not fade anytime soon. "I don't think any of us are truly okay mentally or physically," said Alyssa.
They are worried that the incident may cause post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for some members of the team.
Despite the challenges, the team is trying to remain hopeful and optimistic. "The Del State team has been through a lot. We lost our coach recently. We've just been through a lot, and we've lost a lot of people on our team, but I think this stuff only just makes us stronger," said Emily.
The Breidegam sisters have returned home to Pennsylvania, and the team is using the spring break to focus on their physical and emotional recovery.
The driver of the bus, 63-year-old Lloyd Archer, has been charged with reckless driving and failure to maintain control of a vehicle, according to the Virginia State Police.