A school bus carrying 15 elementary school students struck a tree during its afternoon route in Westwood, Massachusetts, on Tuesday, sending a child and the driver to the hospital.
The first calls to 911 came in at about 3:37 p.m. on September 22, reporting a crash near Downey Street and Phillips Brooks Road, according to Westwood police. An officer reached the scene roughly a minute later and found the bus against a tree along the side of the road. More officers and Westwood firefighters responded. (www.bostonglobe.com)
The bus was taking students from Downey and Pine Hill elementary schools home, Westwood Public Schools said. One student was taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries, accompanied by a school staff member, according to The Boston Globe. The driver was also hospitalized. Officials had not publicly provided an update on the driver’s condition. (www.bostonglobe.com)
In all, 16 people were aboard: the driver and 15 children. Police said no major or life-threatening injuries were reported. That assessment offers some reassurance, but it does not explain what caused the bus to leave the road. (www.bostonglobe.com)
Local station WCVB described the incident as a single-vehicle crash. Its report placed the crash at around 3:45 p.m., while the police timeline gives 3:37 p.m. as the time emergency calls began. Those times describe the same afternoon incident; neither establishes the precise moment the bus hit the tree. (www.bostonglobe.com)
As of the latest accounts reviewed, investigators had not announced a cause. Officials had not said whether road conditions, a medical issue, or a mechanical problem played any role. The next answers families will be looking for are what caused the crash and how the hospitalized driver and student are doing. For now, police say the investigation remains open. (www.bostonglobe.com)