Dozens of schoolchildren were injured after a school bus crashed head-on with a tow truck in Pennsylvania on Wednesday morning.
State police Captain Patrick Dougherty said in a press conference that the bus carrying 49 students to Bear Creek Community Charter School for their second day of the term collided with an oncoming truck on Route 115 in Bear Creek Township, Luzerne County, just after 8am.
The tow truck driver, identified as 28-year-old Edward Edward Steinmann, is believed to have suffered a medical event and swerved over the median strip, Mr Dougherty said, according to Fox56.
Mr Steinmann and the bus driver, Suzanne Ent, 53, were taken to hospital with moderate injuries.
The 49 students, aged from kindergarten through to eighth grade, suffered minor injuries in the crash, and were taken to hospital on a separate school bus for evaluation, Pennsylvania State Police said.
The two injured drivers were taken to hospital by ambulance.
Footage from the crash site showed the bus sustained major damage in the front-on smash.
Mr Dougherty praised the efforts of passers-by for coming to the aid of the injured children and helping to comfort them until emergency services arrived.
“Although this was an unfortunate event, we are grateful that there were no serious injuries,” Mr Dougherty said.
“We would like to thank the good citizens who stopped to help and render aid.”
Parents of the injured children have been notified, he added.
Bear Creek charter school CEO Jim Smith thanked the witnesses and multi-agency effort for rendering care for the school children during the press conference.
An investigation is underway into the crash.
