An early morning accident involving an unloaded school bus and amotorcycle has left one person injured, say Lincoln County officialsaid.

A Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department spokesman said a NorthPike School bus and a motorcycle collided this morning around 6:38on Freeman Lane.

The motorcycle rider, who was not identified, was knockedunconscious in the collision, but was conscious when a sheriff’sdeputy arrived on the scene. The rider also received variousscrapes to his ankle and leg, the spokesman said.

The North Pike School bus was not carrying any children when thecollision occurred, said the spokesman.

Most schools in Brookhaven, Lincoln County and the surroundingarea are scheduled to begin the 2006-2007 school year on Monday,which has prompted a city school official to issue a warning todrivers.

Brookhaven School District Transportation Director Steve Huey,said area drivers need to be “extremely careful” and heed thewarning signs when a school bus stops to pick up or drop off achild.

State law says that all lanes of traffic must stop when a busstops and displays warning signs, Huey said.

“Bus drivers do their best to unload from the right, butsometimes they can’t avoid it,” Huey said.

Huey said to watch for buses in the city between 6:30 and 8 a.m.and in the afternoons from 2:45 to 4:30 p.m. One exception is thealternative school routes which will run at 9 a.m. and again atbetween 4 and 5 p.m. Similar times are true for the Lincoln CountySchool District.