SCHOOL BUS REAR-ENDS A STOPPED TANKER TRUCK IN SUMMIT TOWNSHIP, PA. THE 2 DRIVERS WERE SERIOUSLY INJURED. THANK GOD THE TANKER TRUCK WAS EMPTY.
FEBRUARY 4, 2015
SUMMIT TOWNSHIP, Pa. —
A school bus rear-ended an empty tanker truck on a rural
Butler County highway Wednesday afternoon, sending the drivers of both vehicles
to hospitals, authorities said.
None of the four high school students on board were injured
when the crash occurred shortly before 1 p.m. on Route 422 in Summit Township,
about 30 miles north of Pittsburgh, authorities said.
State police said the bus driver was taken by helicopter to
Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh.
Pennsylvania State police Trooper Dan Kesten told Channel 11
News that the driver’s injuries aren’t life-threatening, but he is in serious
condition.
“A seatbelt likely saved the driver’s life,” Kesten said.
According to the Associated Press, the tanker driver was
taken by ambulance to nearby Butler Memorial Hospital after complaining of back
pain. Police didn't believe he or she had life-threatening injuries.
The bus said "Hermitage Schools" on it but the
students were from Indiana Area School District.
Hermitage Superintendent Dan Bell said the district's
contractor, Student Transportation of America, was using the vehicle to
transport students from another district.
Indiana Area School District Superintendent Dale Kirsch said
the students were heading to an orchestra competition at Hickory High School,
which is in the Hermitage district.
A teacher following behind in her vehicle took the students
to the Butler hospital as a precaution, but they weren't believed to be
injured, both Kirsch and county emergency services spokeswoman Amy Marree said.
Investigators say the tanker was stopped, so police are
checking to see if there was a mechanical error on the bus or if the driver
experienced a medical emergency. The accident remains under investigation.