A teen was killed at 7:20 a.m. Tuesday when the southbound car he was driving went out of control and turned sideways on Alabama 127 and was T-boned by a northbound Limestone County school bus.

The crash occurred one mile south of Elkmont at Witty Mill Road.

Alabama State Trooper Public Information Officer Curtis Summerville identified the victim as Jordan Seth Shores, 18, of Elkmont.

“[Shores] was traveling south in a 2000 Pontiac Firebird when he collided with a 2007 Thomas school bus that was traveling north,” said Summerville. “The bus was driven by Floyd Adams, 67, also of Elkmont. The initial investigation indicates that Mr. Shores was attempting to pass two other southbound vehicles, in a no-passing zone, and collided with the school bus.

“Mr. Shores, who was not wearing a seat belt, was pronounced dead at the scene,” Summerville said.

The 38 passengers on the school bus, including the driver, were moved to another bus and taken to the Elkmont school, where paramedics checked them, said Principal Mickey Glass. One boy complained of a headache, so an ambulance was called, said Limestone County Transportation Director Darryl Adams. By the time the ambulance arrived, three more children reported minor injuries, including one girl who had a sore knee, Adams said. All four were sent in the ambulance to the hospital, where they were checked out and then released to go home with their parents, Glass said.

Other children, perhaps 10 to 12, were taken to their family doctor by their parents to be checked, Adams said.

Shores’ car came to rest at the bottom of a deep ditch across from Witty Mill Road, while the badly damaged bus continued on for about 50 more yards, coming to a stop in a pasture. The bus crossed the fence line where the terrain was at a slight grade. One emergency worker observed that had the bus left the highway either 30 feet sooner or 30 feet later, it too would have plunged into a deep ditch.

Summerville said Tuesday morning at the scene that although the wreck happened during a heavy rainfall, there is no indication the weather was a factor in the collision.

“He was passing in a no-passing zone,” said Summerville. “There is a curve, a hill and an intersection. Obviously, he couldn’t get back into the southbound lane.”

Emergency responders worked for 45 minutes to free the body from the wreckage. Troopers continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash.

Limestone County District 2 Commissioner Gerald Barksdale said Shores had worked for his district as a temporary equipment operator over the summer.

“He was a real good worker,” said Barksdale. “He left Sept. 30 because he was laid off with the new budget year.”

Ardmore Chapel Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

— Jean Cole contributed to this story.