Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008

School bus overturns in Riverdale

Driver, three students injured

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Susan Whitney⁄The Gazette
Prince George’s County police investigate an accident involving a county school bus carrying students to William Wirt Middle School that overturned in Riverdale on Wednesday morning. Twenty students and the bus driver were taken to Prince George’s Hospital Center for evaluation, while 24 students were taken to Doctor’s Hospital for the same. Three students and the driver were treated for non-life threatening injuries.
A Prince George’s County school bus taking 44 William Wirt Middle School students to school rolled onto its side in Riverdale Wednesday morning, ejecting the driver from the bus and sending three students to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Just before 9 a.m., Prince George’s County Fire and EMS Department was informed of the accident, which occurred on 61st Place near the intersection of Riverdale Road.

‘‘It’s too early to say what exactly happened, but the bus was traveling eastbound on Riverdale Road when it attempted a left hand turn onto 61st Place and flipped [on to its side],” said Mark Brady, a fire department spokesman. ‘‘The Prince George’s police department is investigating the accident.”

Cpl. Stephen Pacheco said charges against the driver are pending. He could not elaborate further.

The driver of bus 1156, an adult male who was ejected from the vehicle during the accident and suffered the most serious, non-life threatening injuries, was taken to a nearby trauma center, Brady said. Three students also suffered non-life threatening injuries, though not as severe as the driver.

All students on board were taken to either Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly or Doctor’s Community Hospital in Lanham as part of standard procedure, said Prince George’s County Public Schools spokesman John White.

‘‘Reports so far include bumps and bruises, no life-threatening injuries among the children,” White said. ‘‘The bus driver is currently in the trauma center, but no report yet on the condition of the driver.”

They will be checked by a physician before being released to their parents, Brady said.

‘‘The parents are being notified about the accident,” said schools spokeswoman Tanzi West.

Michelle Washington, Wirt’s assistant principal, would not comment on the incident.

Riverdale resident David Duffany said he did not witness the accident, but saw the aftermath.

‘‘This is a tragic accident and I’m just asking everyone to pray for the many children that are involved and their families. I can’t even imagine what their parents are going through,” Duffany said. ‘‘I don’t know the speed [the driver] was going at, but these are innocent children and this just shouldn’t happen to them.”

E-mail Maya T. Prabhu at mprabhu@gazette.net.

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