Five elementary school students and one adult have been injured in a school bus accident in Maryland, according to local police reports.
The Rockville police department say that the five students were taken to a local hospital after their school bus smashed into another vehicle at around 8.30 on Monday morning. The school bus was carrying 45 students to school when the accident occurred.
The incident happened outside Julius West Middle School where the bus was scheduled to drop the students off for lessons. The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services responded promptly to the accident scene, and transported six people, including five children, to hospital where they are being treated for minor injuries.
One child was seriously injured, but did not sustain any life-threatening injuries and is currently in a stable condition in hospital, according to Fire and Rescue spokesperson Beth Ann Nesselt.
The accident occurred at an intersection between Maryland Avenue and Great Falls Road in Rockville, according to Jamal Lewis, a Rockville City Police Officer. Police spokesperson Bob Rappoport says that the bus collided with a silver Jeep Cherokee after the Jeep failed to yield when making a left turn at the intersection. The bus, which was travelling straight through the intersection, collided with the Jeep. Rappoport reports that both drivers were also taken to hospital with minor injuries, and have since been discharged.
A spokesperson for Montgomery County Public Schools, Mrs. Dana Tofig, said that the bus was en route from Julius West Middle School to Ritchie Park Elementary School.
The remainder of the students that were not injured in the accident were collected by another bus and taken to Ritchie Park Elementary School, where they were assessed by a health professional and declared to be clear of injuries.
Although it appears that the Jeep was at fault in the accident, the exact circumstances surrounding the incident are not yet known and police are conducting a thorough investigation. If the driver of the Jeep is found to be liable, then the families of the children that were injured in the accident, or the operators of the school bus that was involved, may have cause to press charges and claim compensation for physical injury, medical expenses or damage to property that resulted from the accident.
If you or any of your family members have been involved in a bus accident such as this one, the wisest course of action is to contact a specialist bus accident attorney who can assist you with possible legal proceedings.