By KATE ALBRIGHT and DIEGO JESUS BARTESAGHI MENA
bartesaghi@montclairlocal.news
A bus full of Montclair students was involved in a crash on Park Street Friday morning.
The accident was reported at 9:06 a.m. at the intersection of Park Street and Wildwood Avenue, and involved both the bus and a passenger vehicle, Montclair Police Sgt. Terence Turner said. The bus had been on the way to to Hillside Elementary School.
Turner said there were 15 children and four adults involved in the crash.
The bus struck a utility pole and a fire hydrant, he said. As of 10:20 a.m., when Turner sent a message to media, there were no serious injuries reported, he said.
Montclair is seeking to raise $230,000 from donors, members and grantors between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31 to put us on firm footing for 2022, and continue supporting the hard work of our journalists into the new year and beyond. Visit MontclairLocal.news/donations to see how we're doing and make your contribution.
The driver of the bus was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries, and no injuries were reported by students, he said.
Nina DeRosa, executive assistant to Montclair’s superintendent, told Montclair Local early Friday the incident was a “fluid situation.”
At noon, Superintendent Jonathan Ponds emailed parents that no children were transported to the hospital, but the driver and bus aide were. “Everyone who needed medical attention received it by first responders and families and caregivers were notified. Hillside nurse and administration were on the scene to assist. Emergency medical personnel have confirmed that no children were transported to the hospital; however, some families on site reported that they would take their children to doctors for follow-up,” Ponds wrote.
Matthew Frankel, a parent of one of the students on the bus as well as a member of Montclair Local’s governing board, was at the scene briefly to pick up his child. He saw the bus pushed up onto a sidewalk, with significant damage to its side, and a utility pole behind it had been partially knocked down.
Neighbor Joseph Zolnowski, who helped out at the scene, said the kids were “anywhere from fairly calm to pretty panicked.
“When I got to the end of the driveway I could hear them [the passengers] saying ‘let us out. Help us out there’s glass,'” he said.
Zolnowski and another neighbor helped the children get out of the bus through two broken doors.
Another neighbor gathered the children in her driveway as parents began showing up to the scene, he said.
“Parents were coming down. And you could tell they are parents because of the looks on their faces. They were just so upset and hugging their children,” neighbor Tammy Zolnowski said.
Lyle Landon who lives down the street said that it looked like the SUV T-boned the school bus, which jumped the curb.
She said drivers often speed through the neighborhood.
Several emergency personnel were on the scene, and children were in two lines, being evaluated.
“Thank goodness the children didn’t get hurt,” Karen Caso, who lives on Valley Avenue, said.
In his email, Ponds thanked the Montclair Police and Fire Departments, Emergency Responders, MPS Transportation Department, Hillside nurse and administrators and district Administration, for their quick response. He also thanked the bus driver for the safety measures taken.
“We will be following up with our families throughout the day,” Ponds said.
This post will be updated frequently as more information becomes available.
— Louis C. Hochman and Jaimie Julia Winters contributed to this report.
COURTESY LYLE LANDON
"local" - Google News
October 15, 2021 at 09:32PM
https://ift.tt/3FO4qmP
Montclair school bus crashes — all students are OK, police say - Montclair Local
"local" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2WoMCc3
https://ift.tt/2KVQLik
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Montclair school bus crashes — all students are OK, police say - Montclair Local"
Post a Comment