road. reporter: straight in her path, a gmc truck had rear-ended a tractor-trailer, touching off the deadly chain reaction crash. the girls bus landed in the pickup truck. the boys bus hit the girls . the force of that attack. propelled one bus into the air and on to the pickup. one teenage girl was killed along with the driver of that pickup truck. helicopters airlifted the most seriously injured to area hospitals that quickly filled with worried parents. i just want to say i m very thankful that i m taking my child home today. reporter: it is unclear whether the school buses had seat belts despite tough new safety standards. the national traffic safety administration doesn t require school districts to install them on large buses. those new standards do require higher seat backs and more padded that offer good protection. on facebook prayers for the family of their schoolmates and those injured on a day that was supposed to be a celebration. students here are getting ready fo