Brothers Killed In Roswell School Bus Crash Were Going To The Dentist

ROSWELL, GA -- A fatal collision involving a school bus transporting special needs students and two teenagers in a passenger vehicle remains under investigation in Roswell.

The accident was reported along Highway 92/Woodstock Road at West Road when a passenger vehicle crashed into the bus Monday afternoon, Roswell police spokesperson Lisa Holland previously told Patch.

Four students from Roswell High School were on the bus at the time, but they did not suffer any injuries.

However, the two victims in the passenger vehicle were pronounced dead at the scene. They have been identified as James Irving Pratt, 18, and Joseph Thomas Pratt, 14, who both attended Lassiter High School in East Cobb, the Cobb County School District said.

James was a senior while his brother was a freshman. The system said the teens were on their way to dentist appointments at the time of the collision. Both brothers were also in Lassiter's NJROTC program and often volunteered with the program at Brumby Elementary School during special events and the after school program.

The boys also have a sister, Lilly, who is a junior at Lassiter and also in NJROTC, the system added. Lassiter High School Principal Dr. Chris Richie informed parents and guardians of the sudden, tragic deaths in a letter.

"There are no words that eases the pain that has devastated our Lassiter family and left us heartbroken," he added.

Dr. Richie noted both boys were "academically motivated, exceptional young men with tremendous leadership potential that we witnessed daily throughout our school and in our NJROTC program."

Grief counselors from the district are on hand to help Lassiter students process the news of their peers' deaths.

Additionally, a GoFundMe page also also been created to help the Pratt family. The Jim and Joe Pratt Memorial Fund seeks to raise $20,000 to help the family, which includes mother Jamie and sister Stella, with any expenses related to the brothers' death. As of Tuesday afternoon, the campaign has raised a little more than $6,400.

Return to Patch for updates.

Photo: from left, James and Joe Pratt. Credit: Cobb County School District