What to Know
- A New York school bus driver who was injured in an October crash has died, according to the Washingtonville Central School District superintendent.
- Driver Andy Sanchez drove for Washingtonville for nine years and was “beloved by his colleagues,” Superintendent Larry Washington said.
- The head-on collision occurred Oct. 21 in New Windsor when a westbound commercial tree-service truck crossed over the double yellow line on Route 207.
A New York school bus driver who was injured in an October crash has died, according to the Washingtonville Central School District superintendent.
Driver Andy Sanchez drove for Washingtonville for nine years and was “beloved by his colleagues,” Superintendent Larry Washington said.
The Oct. 21 accident involving the bus and work truck happened just before 8:30 a.m. in the Orange County community, about 50 miles northwest of Manhattan, according to a statement from the town's deputy police chief following the incident. Police said the crash unfolded when a tree service truck crossed the center line and collided with the eastbound school bus on Route 207.
Washington wrote in a letter to the school community that families should encourage their children to express themselves and to seek out the school counselors if needed.
“We know you’ll join us in expressing sympathy and condolences to Mr. Sanchez’s family at this time,” Washington wrote.
Multiple people, including a child, were originally injured in the scary school bus accident.
Three people were hospitalized, Deputy Chief Michael Farbent said, including the bus driver, a truck driver and an elementary school student. Seven kids walked off the mangled bus under their own power and were seen at a hospital as a precautionary measure.
A 6-year-old girl was injured in the crash and was released later that month.
Following the incident the Washingtonville Central School District, in a letter posted to its website, confirmed it was a bus for Little Britain Elementary School, near Stewart International Airport. County Executive Steve Neuhaus told News 4 at the time that some of the injured had to be extricated from the bus.
A GoFundMe page initially set up a couple of days after the accident by a self-identified friend and coworker to collect donations for Sanchez. On Wednesday, the page was updated with a note allegedly on behalf of Sanchez' family announcing his death. The note read in part: "After an embattled six weeks, our Dad left this world as he lived it, an unquestionable fighter.
News
"We are all hurting. Time has stood still and it will take some time for it to sink in that this most unfathomable tragedy has ended in this way. Despite our grief, if we all dig deep enough, we inevitably find a silver lining and ours has been obvious and glaring: the love, comfort, support, kindness, and overwhelming generosity of family; friends spanning decades and those newly welcomed; devoted colleagues; beloved band mates; and the community of Washingtonville and the surrounding area."
