A commercial dump truck failing to see stopped traffic sparked a multi-vehicle crash involving a school bus in Monroe Township.
The collision occurred Thursday afternoon on the 700 block of North Tuckahoe Road in Gloucester County.
Police reported that a northbound dump truck rear-ended an SUV, pushing it into the school bus, which subsequently struck another dump truck.
A total of 14 people, including 12 children and two adults, were transported to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.
First responders had to free a minor who was trapped in the rear seat of the heavily damaged SUV.
The school bus was carrying nine students from Oak Knoll Elementary School who were departing after their third day of classes.
An official statement from the school district confirmed the medical evaluation and release of the young passengers:
“The students were evaluated by medical staff at the hospital and subsequently released,” per CBS Philadelphia and NBC10 Philadelphia.
Reassuring the community about the safety of those on board, the school spokesperson added:
“Thankfully, the driver and students are safe and healthy,” the outlets reported.
A nearby resident, Jaime Young, described the startling sound of the collision:
“It sounded like explosion. Bang! Really hard,” per the local outlets.
Recalling his immediate efforts to assist the panicked SUV driver, Young explained the situation inside the vehicle:
“She had a little girl in her arm. And she was saying she has her nephew, it was a little boy, and he was trapped in the rear seat of her car.”
Another resident, Monica Jetter, expressed ongoing concerns about speeding and safety in the area:
“There seems to be, like, a lot of accidents around right in this area,” the outlets reported.
The Monroe Township Police Department is currently investigating the crash as the dump truck company cooperates with authorities.