After a tractor trailer rear-ended a bus on a highway about 30 miles outside of Nashville late last week, many shared the same sentiment: It could have been much, much worse.

The truck accident happened near a construction zone on Interstate 24 near Murfreesboro in Rutherford County. The charter bus, which was headed for Nashville from Georgia, reportedly slowed down as it approached the construction area. That's when the truck slammed into it from behind.

The impact apparently caused the bus to veer to the right, in the direction of a ditch. According to the Tennessean, the bus driver acted quickly and steered the bus away from a potentially disastrous scenario. The truck ended up in the middle of the median, while the bus came to rest on the shoulder.

Still, there were injuries. Several people who were riding on the bus, as well as the truck driver, were taken to a hospital. About 17 were treated by paramedics at the scene.

The bus was about to arrive at its destination when the crash occurred. The truck driver, meanwhile, was from Indiana and was hauling 38,000 pounds of refrigerated food in his 18-wheeler.

As it turns out, the truck driver says that he sneezed just as the bus was slowing down and he wasn't able to react in time to slow down. According to a spokesperson with the Tennessee Highway Patrol, no charges were expected to be filed in connection with the crash.

Source: The Tennessean, "Nashville-bound bus hit by truck," Mark Bell, Jan. 27, 2012