Parents like to think that their children will take the bus and arrive at school safe and sound. However, some parents had one of their worst nightmares come true last week when the school bus their children were riding on got into an accident with a dump truck. From that crash, an 11-year-old was killed, and three children were critically injured.
The bus accident happened on Thursday around 8 a.m. at a four-way intersection. The school bus had a stop sign, and the dump truck had a yellow flashing traffic signal to proceed with caution. However, the two ended up colliding, and the bus was sent into a pole. The side of the bus reportedly crumbled.
At the time of the crash, authorities believe the bus was either attempting to turn or proceed through the intersection. After the crash, a boy who was onboard the bus claimed that the dump truck had just slammed into the bus.
So far, the crash is still under investigation, and charges are yet to be filed against the 66-year-old bus driver or the 38-year-old dump truck driver.
The 11-year-old who was killed in the crash was one of three triplets. Her two sisters were also badly injured, as was an 11-year-old boy who was also taken to the hospital in critical condition. Seventeen others children also received minor injuries in the crash.
According to a recent article in the Connecticut Post, students claimed to have been wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident. However, one mother whose child was on the bus said the impact still caused some of the kids to be thrown into the aisle of the bus.
Looking to the future, aside from the fact that one of the driver’s may end up facing citations, there is also the possibility that whoever caused the accident will be held liable for the injuries and death that resulted from the crash.
Source: Connecticut Post, “NJ trooper’s triplets in bus crash: 1 dead, 2 hurt,” Beth DeFalco, Feb. 18, 2012
