Channelview High School bus crash survivor earns prestigious Gates scholarship

CHANNELVIEW, Texas -- Dewayne Benson was fast asleep on a charter bus, heading home from Disney World when he woke up to chaos.

In 2018, Benson's high school band was in Alabama when the bus went off the highway and plunged into a ravine more than 50 feet deep.

The bus driver died, while dozens of students and staff were hurt.

Benson said, "It was a hard impact. Other students had broken bones, maybe sprains."

But Benson's mother is still shocked he didn't have a scratch on him.

The Channelview, Texas teen graduated this June as valedictorian and is now heading to college with one of the most prestigious scholarships in the country.

Benson was named a Gates Scholar with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The award covers all his education expenses through a Ph. D.

He'll be headed to the University of Texas in Austin to study computer science. Congrats, Dewayne!