Two Westchester County school districts are mobilizing crisis teams -- and asking for support -- in the aftermath of a crash involving an unlicensed teenage driver and a school bus that left three students fighting for their lives a day ago.
Nine people were hurt in Wednesday's mid-afternoon crash on Lake Road in the town of New Castle, police said. That tally includes four Fox Lane High School students, all but one of whom were hospitalized in critical condition. Three of the hospitalized individuals were still in critical condition as of Thursday afternoon, a spokesperson for Westchester Medical Center said, while six others were recovering.
According to investigators, a 16-year-old from Bedford Hills who did not have his driver's license was behind the wheel of a Honda Accord, three passengers in tow, when he lost control as it rounded a curve. He drifted into lanes of oncoming traffic and smashed into the school bus head-on, according to police.
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He was among the three severely hurt students hospitalized. No one in the school bus, which had five people aboard, was badly injured. No identities have officially been released, but the family of the driver identified him as Erick Fuentes.
Relatives of the three worst-hurt students set up GoFundMe pages in the aftermath of the crash, with one woman who identified herself as Kaitlynn saying one of the victims, a junior, is on a ventilator after having suffered a brain hemorrhage and collapsed lungs. She also said he had two broken legs and spent five hours in surgery Wednesday.
Another woman who identified herself as Fuentes' older sister confirmed he was the one who collided with the bus, and said he suffered a broken neck, fractured spine and broken leg, among other gruesome injuries. He was recovering from surgery late Thursday.
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A Dunkin' Donuts lover who works at a local pizzeria, the teenage driver is also on a ventilator, the sister said.
"This is devastating," she wrote on his GoFundMe page, "but all we have left is to have faith that he will make it out alive. All we ask is for time and space."
The third badly hurt student is 17, and a woman identifying herself as his sister also pleaded for help. She said the three boys have been friends since they were kids and that her family is having a hard time processing what happened.
"He is always the go-to friend that the rest of the boys would come to and spend time at our house," the sister wrote, saying he's now dealing with a brain bleed, fractured femur, spinal injuries and a ruptured spleen. "He is currently hooked up to a ventilator that is helping him. He’s just a little boy fighting for his life now. We ask everyone to take in account the other families and ours and please pray for our boys and help out our boys come out of this together."
Hundreds of people had donated a combined more than $84,000 to the three boys' pages by early Thursday afternoon.
The Fox Lane campus was expected to see limited access Thursday. The superintendents of local school districts, meanwhile, expressed support for their communities and said they would provide additional information as available.
"Our hearts go out to our entire community at this challenging time," Dr. Rob Glass, superintendent of Bedford Central School District, which includes Fox Lane High School, said Thursday. "Counselors and clinicians are available for students and staff at any of our buildings who are in need of support."
Yorktown Central School District, whose school bus was involved in the crash, said its thoughts were also with the victims. Officials have said five people, two high school students, a driver and two monitors, were on the bus.
"We look forward to a speedy recovery for our students, driver, and monitors," the Yorktown statement said. "At this time, the District is unable to comment further as this remains an open police matter."
It was unclear how and why the driver lost control of the sedan he was driving. The family of the driver told NBC New York that he had a learner's permit, having just passed his driver's test, and was only waiting for the official documents. His father figured it was safe to lend him the car.
A learner's permit allows holders to be on local roads provided a passenger at least 21 years of age was in the car. It doesn't appear anyone of age was in the vehicle, based on the school district's statement.
Wednesday's crash was the second accident involving an unlicensed driver in Westchester County in a matter of months. Five kids died in that late March incident on the Hutchinson River Parkway, the youngest just 8 years old. Only a 9-year-old child survived that crash. A 16-year-old was also behind the wheel in that case.
A message about potential new enforcement and policy measures was left with the Westchester County district attorney's office Thursday. Police say her office is assisting in the New Castle investigation as well.
