On May 14, 2013, seven New Jersey elementary school students and one adult were injured when a school bus collided with a car on Salem Road.
All the injuries to the children were considered minor. The adult who was injured remains in the hospital.
The accident occurred just before 8:15 a.m., when the school bus transporting students to the Fountain Woods Elementary School collided with a Toyota Camry at Salem Road and Cynwyd Drive, police said.
Fifteen students were on the bus, and seven were taken to Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County in Willingoro and Virtua Memorial in Mount Holly. All but one was released by midmorning. The last student was released later in the afternoon, school officials said.
Scott Vincent, a Burlington Township resident, told media that he heard the collision just outside his home on Salem Road and saw the children leaving through the vehicle’s rear emergency exit. He said their injuries did not seem serious.
“They were upset. Some of them were crying a little bit. There was no blood. I think they were just shaken up a bit. The driver of the Toyota appeared to have the most serious injuries.” Vincent said.
The man was hospitalized with serious injuries.
The eight other students were taken to the elementary school, where they were seen by the school nurse and then released to their parents.
Superintendent Christopher Manno said the district sent administrators to the accident scene and the hospitals and notified the parents of the children on the bus. Also, an email alert was sent out to all parents.
Manno told local media, “We’re pretty pleased with the district response. We were readily able to identify all the students on the bus and notify their parents in a timely manner. I was relieved the injuries to the students were considered minor in nature”
An investigation into the accident is ongoing. Apparently, the bus was entering Salem Road from Cynwyd Drive when the collision occurred. There is a stop sign on Cynwyd Drive, but police declined to specify which driver was at fault.
School officials said the bus driver is an employee of First Student Inc., which is contracted for some of the district’s bus routes.
The bus was equipped with seatbelts, and the students are required to wear them. However, school officials did not know how many of the 15 children were belted at the time of the accident.
The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office and the New Jersey State Police’s commercial vehicle inspection unit were assisting with the probe. Officers from Burlington City and the Burlington County Sheriff’s Department also assisted at the accident scene.