UPDATE: Company That Owns School Bus in NJ Crash Failed 96 Percent of Last Inspection
Eleven children were taken to hospitals after their school bus got into an accident with an SUV, then smashed into a liquor store near a New Jersey intersection Thursday, authorities say.
None of the children was believed to be seriously hurt, officials said. The manager of the bus company, Horizon Link, said the bus driver was also taken to a hospital for observation after complaining of leg pain following the accident in Irvington around 8:30 a.m.
The children were on their way to Mt. Carmel Guild School in West Orange at the time of the accident. Police say the bus driver told investigators the brakes failed and she lost control of the bus. The bus hit a Toyota Rav 4 before striking the side of a liquor store.
Surveillance video from a building near the site shows the short school bus careen across the intersection at Springfield and Sanford avenues, speeding straight to the curb, with the SUV braced along its right side.
The two vehicles separate when they hit the sidewalk, with the bus plowing into the liquor store and the SUV going into a hedge nearby.
The video shows the force of the impact, as both vehicles are raised into the air a bit before coming to rest, dust and debris settling around them. Both vehicles have been towed from the scene.
Earlier, Chopper 4 showed the front of the school bus out of view, buried in the building up to the windshield. The SUV vehicle was also up on the sidewalk, its back left side touching the right left side of the damaged bus at about a 90-degree angle. The front hood appeared totally destroyed.
Chopper 4 showed emergency workers assisting people sitting against the building the bus hit, including children. Several stretchers were also at the scene and at least two people were seen being wheeled over to waiting ambulances.
The SUV's driver was also treated for injuries that weren't life-threatening. No pedestrians were hurt.
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Investigators are checking the bus for mechanical issues.
