Duplin County, NC (September 22, 2026) - Dalia Obregon, 42, and two school bus staff members were injured in a collision involving a car and a school bus on Warren Road in Duplin County, North Carolina. None of the 17 children aboard the bus reported injuries.

Officials were called around 4:15 p.m. Tuesday. According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, the bus was traveling south with children from North Duplin Elementary School when a northbound car crossed the center line and struck it. Both vehicles came to rest in ditches.

The bus driver and bus monitor were taken to ECU Health Duplin Hospital for minor injuries and observation. Obregon, who was driving the car, went to Wayne UNC Health Care in Goldsboro. Family members picked up all the students at the scene.

Highway Patrol reported that Obregon was charged with driving left of center and having an expired registration plate and also received a window tint violation.

Duplin County Emergency Management, Duplin County EMS, Faison Fire and Rescue, and Duplin County Schools responded to the scene.

When a Bus Crash Is Also a Workplace Injury

The driver and monitor were transporting students when the Warren Road collision sent both employees to the hospital. Their reported roles make this more than a question about damage to a bus: an injury sustained while working can raise different questions from an injury during a personal trip.

In North Carolina, a covered workplace injury may involve workers’ compensation even when someone outside the employer caused it. A separate claim against that person may also be possible. These processes address different questions: whether the injury qualifies for employment-related benefits, and whether another person is legally responsible for the harm. Pursuing one does not automatically eliminate the other.

The two claims can still affect each other. Workers’ compensation payments may create reimbursement rights against a recovery from the other party, so a settlement figure alone may not show what the injured employee would receive. Useful bus accident information should account for the injured person’s role and the benefits already paid, as well as how the crash happened. The report does not identify any claims or benefits involving the employees in this collision.

Before Settling an Injury Claim From a Work Trip

If you were injured while driving or riding for work, raise that fact when discussing any proposed injury settlement. An attorney can examine how employment-related benefits and a claim against another driver may interact, including whether anyone has a right to reimbursement. That review can clarify the effect of an offer before you decide whether to accept it.

You can call 1-704-714-1450 to discuss a work-related vehicle injury. Have any claim letters or settlement paperwork available, and identify which payments you have received and who made them. Those details give the conversation a concrete starting point.