Students Sustain Minor Injuries in Bus Crash

Three buses transporting students home from Warren Middle School were involved in a chain-rection accident Wednesday shortly after 3 p.m., after one of the buses hit the rear-end of another, forcing it into a third bus on Old Stirling Road.

The accident occurred at the intersection of Old Stirlng Road and Reinman Road, and left several students with minor injuries, including bloody noses and a chipped tooth, according to Superintendent Tami Crader.

She said the buses were not traveling very fast, and were "in heavy traffic."

Immediately after the accident, the buses were pulled onto Arrighi Drive, where school nurse Lisa Lontai checked and treated the students, with Principal Robert Comba and Dean of Students Scott Cook assisting.

"We have a few students complaining of soreness, but that's to be expected," Dr. Crader said Thursday.

Police responded to the scene, as well as managers with Dealaman Bus Co., owner of the buses. Police have not yet released a report on the incident, and the cause of the initial accident is not known.

The school also began communicating with parents to advise them of the delay, and to arrange for transportation for the students.

Crader said she thought the accident response was handled "very well" by the middle school staff.

"I thought the administrators and the nurse did a wonderful job responding to the situation," she said, noting the school officials hurried to the scene of the accident as soon as they learned of it.

The buses were for the No. 12, No. 10 and No. 8M bus routes.

The school sent the following email from the Principal Robert Comba and Dean of Students Scott Cook to parents of the students on the affect routes this morning:

"As you are aware, there was an accident on Old Stirling Road approximately 100 yards from the Middle School involving all three of these Middle School Buses yesterday after school. 

As soon as Mr. Cook and I were notified of the accident, we along with school nurse Mrs. Lontai, immediately went to the scene of the accident.  Warren police were already there as well as Mr. S. Dealaman, owner of the bus company.

Upon arriving at the scene of the accident, Nurse Lontai did an injury assessment of all students on the three buses. Those students who needed medical attention were removed from the bus by Nurse Lontai and treated.  Emergency personnel arrived on the scene shortly afterwards. 

We were in constant contact with the superintendent, Crader, as well as the secretaries in the main office of Warren Middle School.

Mr. Cook and I boarded all three buses to ascertain who actually was riding the bus that day in preparation for parents picking students up once the buses had been pulled off of Old Stirling and onto Arrighi Drive.

All students were picked up by an adult either at the scene of the accident or from the Middle School.  The extent of the injuries was such that no one was transported to the hospital.

Thank you to the students and parents who remained calm and cooperative throughout the afternoon.  It is deeply appreciated.  Mr. Cook and I want to thank the Warren police for their care and concern of our students along with school nurse Mrs. Lontai.

Mrs. Johnson, 8th grade counselor, who also arrived at the scene of the accident, was an invaluable asset in assisting with both students and parents.  The secretaries in the Middle School remained at school to man the phones and communicate with parents throughout the afternoon. Dr. Crader, superintendent, remained in contact with us and was a support as well.

While no one would ever wish for an occurrence such as this, Mr. Cook and I are thankful that injuries were not more serious and proud that everyone came together and worked as a team to manage this crisis.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call us."