Township Of Montclair: MPD: Update On School Bus Accident

Press release from the Township of Montclair:

10/15/2021

On Friday October 15, 2021 at 9:06 AM, Montclair Police responded to the intersection of Park Street and Wildwood Avenue on a report of a motor vehicle accident involving a school bus.

Preliminary investigation indicates that the driver of a 2008 Toyota Rav 4 (operated by an 85- year-old male from Belleville, NJ) was driving west on Wildwood Avenue when it entered the intersection with Park Street and struck a school bus, which was traveling south on Park Street. After the initial collision, the school bus (operated by a 54-year old female from Haledon, NJ) mounted the western curb, struck a utility pole and a fire hydrant before coming to rest. At the time of the collision, the bus was en route to the Hillside School (elementary school in Montclair located at Hillside Avenue and Orange Road) and was occupied by 15 juvenile students as well as an aide.

The Montclair Fire Department, Montclair Ambulance Unit, as well as EMS units from Glen Ridge, Bloomfield, and Cedar Grove also responded to the scene. Representatives from Hillside School, including the school nurse, were also on scene.

All students were assisted off of the bus safely and each student was evaluated by EMS. There were no injuries reported to any of the students and none were transported to the hospital. Each student was released to a parent on scene.

The school bus aide (60-year-old female) sustained a swollen knee and was transported by ambulance to Clara Mass Medical Center in Belleville, NJ.

The driver of the bus complained of head, neck, and back pain and was transported by ambulance to St Joseph’s Hospital in Paterson, NJ.

The operator of the Toyota Rav 4 complained of pain to his head, neck, and back and was transported by ambulance to Mountainside Hospital. His passenger (24-year old male) also complained of shoulder and head pain and was transported to Mountainside Hospital by ambulance.

Both vehicles were towed from the scene. PSE&G responded to the scene to replace the damaged utility pole.

The driver of the Toyota received two summonses for Failure to Stop/Yield as well as Careless Driving.

The accident remains under investigation.

This press release was produced by the Township of Montclair. The views expressed here are the author’s own.