School bus involved in crash in Westmoreland County
ALLEGHENY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) - It was a scary morning for young students on their way to school on Thursday morning when their bus was involved in a crash in Westmoreland County.
The crash happened just after 8 a.m. in Allegheny Township at the intersection of Hyde Park Road and Route 56. A truck ran a red light and hit the school bus. According to police, following the collision, the truck burst into flames.
"They literally had just gotten on the bus and I was about to walk back to my car and we heard this big boom and turned around and saw the kids' bus there and looked over and the white pickup truck that hit it burst into the flames," one mom told KDKA-TV.
Amazingly, the young students aboard the bus jumped into action and opened the emergency door at the back of the bus to get themselves to safety.
"She told us to go to the back of the bus and open this latch so I climbed over the seats and opened the latch," said student Carson Stover.
Most of the students on the bus were anywhere from kindergarten to fourth grade age. They are believed to be doing well aside from some cuts and bruises.
After being hit by the initial truck, the bus also collided with another truck as a result of the crash. The drivers of both trucks, as well as the bus driver, are doing OK.
Kiski Area School District released a letter to parents and families not long after the crash, saying emergency services, school administrators and school counselors responded quickly. All students were checked by paramedics at the scene and were released to their guardians, the district said.
Allegheny Township Police Chief Dan Uncapher said he commends the bus driver and the students for their quick actions and bravery.
"They learn young now because we just never know what's going to happen," Chief Uncapher said. "The students are instructed from my understanding where the safety exits are in case something like this would happen."
KDKA-TV has learned that charges are pending, but police are still in the early stages of their investigation.