Three Bellefonte students, school bus driver injured after crash in Spring Township
Three elementary school students and a bus driver were injured and taken to hospitals Wednesday after a crash in Spring Township, the police department’s chief and the Bellefonte Area School District superintendent said.
None of the injuries are life-threatening, township police Chief Adam Salyards said.
The driver crashed about 7:50 a.m. Wednesday into a tree along Greens Valley Road, which is a straight, two-lane road. The cause of the crash is being investigated.
The bus was equipped with cameras that will be reviewed. Salyards declined to say if alcohol, drugs, speed, a medical emergency or fatigue were factors.
Eight children were on the bus that was headed toward Pleasant Gap Elementary School, Superintendent Tammie Burnaford said. Three were transported to Mount Nittany Medical Center, Salyards said.
All are “doing well at this time,” Pleasant Gap Elementary School Principal Daniel Besch wrote in an email to parents. Guardians were notified of their children’s conditions, he wrote.
Besch and school counselor Patrick McDermott went to the scene to help students.
The driver — whose name and age wasn’t immediately released — was flown by medical helicopter to UPMC Altoona for treatment of moderate injuries, Salyards said.
The bus was mangled by the crash; the front right of the vehicle and the windshield were smashed.
The Pleasant Gap Fire Company and EMS, Centre Hall Volunteer Fire Company, Penns Valley EMS, Mount Nittany Medical Center EMS, Life Lion EMS and Bellefonte police assisted.
Besch thanked first responders in his email to parents, writing they “did an amazing job caring for and assisting our students and families during this time.”
He also praised those who live near the crash, as well as the students who he described as “truly amazing.”
“They helped each other off the bus and supported each other while waiting to return to school,” Besch wrote. “They are to be commended for their actions and how they worked together.”
School counselors are available for students Wednesday and Thursday to speak about the crash or any concerns, Besch wrote.
This story was originally published November 9, 2022 at 11:30 AM.