School bus accident results in minor injuries

A school bus accident on Thursday, October 7 sent more than a dozen students to the hospital as well as the driver of the bus and one of the other vehicles involved in the accident. According to police, a 32-year-old Lincoln woman was issued a summons for inattentive driving.

The accident occurred at the intersection of Southeast Front Street and Rehoboth Boulevard and involved a bus carrying Mispillion and Lulu M. Ross Elementary students. There were 25 students on the bus with 13 transported to area hospitals where they were treated for minor injuries and released. The remaining 12 students were transported to school where they were medically evaluated and either sent to class or sent home with a parent. The bus driver and the driver of a third car involved in the collision were also treated for minor injuries and released.

The school bus was westbound on Southeast Front Street when a vehicle traveling eastbound made a left turn in front of the bus, causing the crash. This then caused the vehicle to strike a third car in the intersection.

After the accident, half of the students were transported to Bayhealth Sussex Campus while the other half were diverted to Beebe. According to Ryan Clarke, Bayhealth’s Director of Emergency Management and Public Safety, this was standard operating procedure for this type of event.

“On Thursday, October 7, 2021, Bayhealth was notified that our emergency room would be receiving pediatric patients from a school bus accident,” Clarke said. “First and foremost, our hearts go out to the families of children involved in the accident. Many of our care team members are parents and this kind of news is concerning to all of us. What’s imortant to know is that, at Bayhealth, we are prepared for this type of emergency. In fact, we conduct drills to practice crucial skills for responding to these types of emergency events. It’s also standard operation procedure for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to send patients to multiple hospitals. EMS and our hospital medical team work together to ensure patients are evaluated and transported quickly to receive the care they need. We are proud of our emergency response teams who continue to meet the needs of Delawareans who turn to us when they are in need of care.”

Milford School District also praised the first responders and healthcare workers who stepped in during and after the accident.

“While we are disappointed that our students, bus driver and families experienced this incident, we are extremely grateful that all students were either released to a parent or able to attend school, and our bus driver will be okay,” Dr. Kevin Dickerson, Superintendent, said. “Our first responders and healthcare workers were outstanding treating our students and bus driver after the accident. We are thankful for their quick response, support and care.”