Bus crash leaves children shaken but unhurt
A Budd’s bus travelling from Lord’s Bank filled with school children crashed into a lamp post about eight twenty this morning at mile three and a half on the Northern Highway. Fortunately only a few children received minor injuries and were treated at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital; the rest were taken to school by Ministry of Education personnel. The driver of the bus, who was very shaken, told us that the accident happened because he was trying to avoid a pickup truck full of men that made a sudden stop. The driver, who declined to give his name, said he had to make a decision in order to avoid serious injuries to his passengers and those in the pickup. News Five was at the scene.
Rhonda Parks
“I felt that the bus went into a ditch and a lot of mud and water came into the bus. A man tried to take me out the back door, and he did take me out. Afterwards the bus driver came out and my cousin came and asked me if I was all right and I told him yes.
I was shocked and very afraid. Because I don’t know if I was going to die and I don’t know if I would still be here.”
Q: “Okay the rest of passengers, children on the bus, the rest of them were o.k. to you?
Rhonda Parks
“Yes, but all of them started to cry because all of them were frightened.”
Although Rhonda said she was alright she was complaining of pains and her very concerned mother made sure she got a second opinion.
Greta Parks, Mother
“She was complaining about pain in her two knees. I think she is very frightened because when I went for her at her school she hug me and begin to cry. So I think the parents need to come look for their children to see what really happened because for now they will say that nothing happened but after a while something really happened to those children. Because from the sight of the bus it was very, very terrible.”
A principal who was also at the hospital says many of the children and their parents have been complaining that the bus has been coming to Lord’s Bank too late.
Vincent Parks
“Since the reopening of school for the second term the bus is often late. What happened before we didn’t have any complaints about the bus because it was running very good. The bus used to come and get to Lord’s Bank for seven o’clock but I got complaints from several parents that the bus is coming after seven now. The bus need to start come to Lord’s Bank for seven o’clock again so they can take their time on the road to get children to school on time and safe.”
Hyacinth Latchman for News Five.
One teacher travelling on the bus told News Five that despite being late the driver was going at a normal speed and did in fact make a right turn to avoid hitting the pickup truck in front of him.
