7 children, 1 adult injured after school bus slams into home in Rockland County

A bus packed with kids headed to school crashed into a Spring Valley home on Thursday morning.

Ramapo police say seven kids were taken to the hospital, along with the driver, CBS2's Kevin Rincon reported.

It's clear this could have been a lot worse, especially given these were elementary school students, some as young as 5.

Police said the bus veered off the road, slammed into a couple of parked cars, before hitting the side of a home.

It's hard to imagine how anyone could walk away without a scratch after this accident. Police said there were 22 kids aboard the yellow school bus.

A parent of a 10-year-old that was released from the hospital shortly after spoke to CBS2.

"Yeah, he has bruising on his upper leg, but no broken bone, or no muscle injury," she said, adding it was a miracle he was able to get out safely.

She said he crawled through a window to escape.

"He made them call me. He made the ambulance ... 'Call my mom. Call my mom. Calm her down, but don't be hysterical because my mom will become hysterical," the mother said.

Other parents showed up at the scene for a firsthand look, thankful it wasn't worse.

CBS2 has learned two 5-year-olds suffered more serious injuries, though police say they are not life threatening.

"Time and again, vehicles, especially buses, especially buses, that have no pick-up or drop-offs in this area speed in this neighborhood, which is a danger for everyone around here," neighbor Yossi Gestetner said.

Gestetner, who lives a block away, said school buses are often see speeding through the area in an effort to avoid traffic on other roads.

"When you use an area as a cut-through, there's a bigger chance that you're going to speed. There needs to be some measures, better lighting, speed bumps," Gestetner said.

For now, investigators are trying to figure out what caused the bus to leave the roadway. The bus driver, a 37-year-old man, was taken to the hospital and treated for a cut to his head. Rincon has learned he showed no signs of impairment.

Rincon did get a chance to talk to the homeowner off camera. She said no one was hurt inside, though it's clear there will be a fair amount of repairs needed to get things back to normal.

A school bus crashed into the side of a home in Spring Valley on Thursday morning.

Chopper 2 was over the scene. The front of the school bus was heavily damaged, CBS2's Kevin Rincon reported.

The bus, which parents said was carrying around 20 elementary school students, took out a corner of a home and slammed into a car, which overturned next to it.

Ramapo police said the accident happened at around 9 a.m., adding there were multiple injuries. However, the severity on the injuries and ages of those involved were not immediately released.

One mother told Rincon, "He has bruising on his upper leg, but no broken bone or no muscle injury. He made them call me. He made the ambulance ... 'Call my mom. Call my mom. Calm her down, but don't be hysterical because my mom will become hysterical."

Countless neighbors said the road is used as a cut-through and that speeding has been an issue in the past.

Chopper 2 was over the scene Thursday morning. Footage showed the bus had impacted a corner of the home and was sitting next to an overturned car. 

Town of Ramapo Police say there were multiple injuries, but the extent of the injuries was not immediately known.