No children were injured Thursday when their school bus was struck by a vehicle which failed to stop for a stop sign at the intersection of Jefferson and Charles streets. (Photo courtesy Tracy J. Jimenez)
WESTFIELD –Eleven local school children escaped injury Thursday when their school bus traveling on Jefferson Street was struck by a SUV that allegedly failed to stop for a stop sign at the intersection with Charles Street.
City police report that multiple callers reported the crash starting at 3:21 p.m. and officers were immediately dispatched to the site.
Officer Kerry Paton was the first to arrive and was joined seconds later by Officer Steven Carrington.
Paton said that he asked all the children if they were injured and none said they were hurt.
The children, ranging from kindergarten students through fourth grade, are all pupils at Highland School.
Paton reports that the school bus, operated by 17-year veteran school bus driver Tracy J. Jimenez, had been westbound on Jefferson Street when a 2006 Ford Escape SUV operated by Steven J. Sheldon, 49, of 131 Reservoir Ave., struck the side of the bus.
Paton reports that Sheldon said that he had not stopped for the stop sign because he had not seen it.
In a brief telephone interview, Jimenez said that Sheldon had been “flying” on the icy road and, although she attempted to avoid the collision, the other vehicle struck her bus on the side toward the front.
“I thought he hit me at my fuel tank” Jimenez said.
Jimenez said that the impact deflected the bus into “a three foot snow bank but it was all ice” and the crash caused the hood to fly open obscuring her view.
“That’s a very dangerous intersection” she said, “a lot of cars run that stop sign.”
Jimenez said that she had dropped off the bulk of her passengers minutes earlier and had only 11 children left to deliver when the crash occurred.
She said that a school traffic warden was the first person to come to her assistance and, after first determining that the children were safe, she made a list of the children and their phone numbers so their parents could be notified immediately.
The bus operator, Lecrenski Brothers, dispatched a replacement bus and, although none of the children complained of injury, they were all transported in the replacement bus to Noble Hospital as a precaution.
Jimenez said that she went back to her company headquarters to deal with essential paperwork but, as soon as she could, she went to the hospital to check on ‘her’ children.
She said that all escaped serous injuries but said two or three said that their wrists hurt.
Jimenez said that the impact was a severe jolt and said that, after she dealt with the results of the crash, she realized her arm and shoulder hurt.
She said that the pain was more apparent the next day when she woke up but said that she has not sought treatment.
“I know it’s not broken” she said.
