Traffic & Transit

NJ School Bus Crash May Have Started With Medical Episode: Police

Lakewood police said the driver may have suffered a medical episode before the crash; there were no injuries.

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A crash Wednesday where a school bus hit three cars and drove across a lawn may have been the result of the driver having a medical episode, police said.
A crash Wednesday where a school bus hit three cars and drove across a lawn may have been the result of the driver having a medical episode, police said. (Nicole Bertic/Patch)

LAKEWOOD, NJ — A school bus loaded with students hit three cars and drove over a lawn Wednesday in a crash that may have been caused by the driver having a medical episode, Lakewood police said Thursday.

The crash, captured on video, happened just after 9 a.m. near the intersection of Central and Glen avenues, police Capt. Gregory Staffordsmith said.

None of the students were injured, Staffordsmith said, but he did not have a count on how many were on board as some students had left with parents before police arrived. Two of the three cars that were hit were occupied, and there were no injuries to those people, he said.

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The driver, a 58-year-old Eatontown man, "may have had a medical episode that contributed or may have caused the incident," Staffordsmith said.

The Lakewood Scoop, which published video of the crash, reported students said the driver fell out of his seat prior to the crash. The video shows the bus driving across a lawn and hitting two cars before coming to a stop.

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Staffordsmith said Lakewood Officer William Allen learned the bus was going east on Central Avenue when it crossed over a double yellow line and hit an oncoming Toyota Camry. After hitting the Camry, the bus continued northeast across the lawn of 179 Glen Ave., then hit a Toyota Avalon on Glen Avenue. The bus finally came to a stop after hitting a second Toyota Camry that was parked facing north on Glen Avenue.

Staffordsmith said the investigation is continuing and anyone who has information or may have witnessed the crash is urged to contact the Lakewood Police Department at 732-363-0200.

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