School bus crashes, flips after car runs stop sign, Delaware cops say. 13 students hurt
Several students were hurt, one seriously, when their school bus collided with a car in a deadly rollover crash on Monday, Jan. 23, Delaware State Police said.
Authorities said the wreck occurred around 3:45 p.m. at the intersection of Hardscrabble Road at East Trap Pond Road in Laurel.
The driver of a gray Honda Civic was headed south on East Trap Pond Road and failed to stop at a posted stop sign, according to state troopers. The car went through the intersection and into the path of the oncoming school bus, a news release said.
“The school bus driver tried to swerve to avoid striking the Civic but was unable to do so,” police said. “As a result, the front of the bus struck the passenger side of the Civic, causing the Civic to overturn and exit the roadway.”
The 21-year-old driver, who troopers said wasn’t wearing a seat belt, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. Authorities haven’t released her name.
The school bus also skidded off the road and flipped onto its side. Officials said 13 students from the Sussex Montessori Charter School were on board.
One student was trapped inside the overturned bus and had to be pulled out by first responders, the Delaware News Journal reported. The bus driver, who suffered minor injuries, stayed behind to keep the student calm before both could exit the bus.
Twelve of the students were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and later released, according to state police. One student suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to a hospital.
In a statement, Sussex Montessori School officials thanked the community for their prayers.
“Our school is aware of the accident and has responded to the hospital,” staff wrote in a statement posted to the school’s Facebook page. “The students are all safe, with their families, and are being treated.”
The crash remains under investigation.
Laurel is about 40 miles south of Dover.
This story was originally published January 24, 2023 at 2:49 PM with the headline "School bus crashes, flips after car runs stop sign, Delaware cops say. 13 students hurt."