4 Injured In School Bus-Van Crash On Route 571 In Manchester

MANCHESTER, NJ — Four people, including a student, were injured Thursday morning when a commercial van and a small school bus collided on Route 571 at Route 70, Manchester police said.

Karen Hurley, 54, of Whiting, who was driving the bus, and Gloria Lecompte, 60, of Lakehurst, the school bus aide, both were taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River for treatment, Capt. Vincent Manco said. Hurley suffered cuts to her face, while Lecompte suffered hip injuries, he said.

In addition, one of the two students on the bus was taken to Community Medical Center for examination after complaining of chest pain, Manco said. The second student did not suffer any injuries.

The driver of the van, Christian Little, 27, of Jackson, suffered injuries to his hip and hands and was taken to Community Medical Center.

All of the people taken to the hospital were listed as stable, Manco said.

The yellow 2015 Thomas school bus was headed north on Route 571 and the van, a 2015 Honda Odyssey, was southbound and waiting to make a left turn onto Route 70, Manco said, resulting in the bus hitting the van on the front passenger side.

The school bus kept going after the initial impact and came to a stop facing north in the right northbound travel lane of County Road 571. The van, meanwhile, rotated 90 degrees and came to a stop also facing north in the left northbound travel lane of Route 571, Manco said.

The investigation is continuing but the primary contributing factor appears to be failure to yield right of way at the intersection, Manco said.

Assisting at the scene were EMTs from the Manchester Township Division of Emergency Services, and firefighters from Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Department.

Patrolman Conner Yatauro of the department’s Traffic Safety Section is investigating.