A collision between a school bus and a tow truck on Route 115 in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, September 6, led to the hospitalization of 49 children and two adults.
The bus, heading to Bear Creek Community Charter School in Wilkes-Barre with 54 students from kindergarten to eighth grade, met with the accident at approximately 8:10 am when the tow truck crossed into oncoming traffic. This information was relayed to the public by the Pennsylvania State Police during a subsequent press conference.
By the afternoon of the same day, an update from the CEO of Bear Creek Community Charter School, Jim Smith, informed that out of the children hospitalized, four were still under care for moderate injuries. Additionally, Suzanne Ent, the 53-year-old bus driver, and Edward Steinmann, the 28-year-old tow truck driver, were also among those admitted with injuries of moderate severity.
During an update, State police Captain Patrick Dougherty mentioned that initial investigations pointed towards a potential medical emergency faced by the tow truck driver, causing the unfortunate collision. This was corroborated by the extensive front-end damage observed in images taken at the scene.
Immediate medical assistance was provided to the students at the crash site. Though many students were released to their guardians after treatment, a few were transferred to Geisinger Wyoming Valley Hospital for further attention.
