WESTFIELD – Two students were injured Friday afternoon when they darted between two parked school buses at Westfield Vocational-Technical High School into the path of a pickup truck on Smith Avenue.
Multiple callers reported at 1:53 p.m. that two boys had been struck at the school and Officer Kerry Paton arrived at the same time as a Fire Department ambulance.
One of the boys suffered injuries to his leg and was transported to Baystate Medical Center where a spokesperson said no information about his condition was available due to his age.
However, Lt. Lawrence Valliere, the commander of the Traffic and Safety Bureau at the Westfield Police Department, said later that “his left leg was broken in two places and he’s got a concussion.” The boy’s right ankle was reportedly sprained
The other boy was reportedly transported to Noble Hospital by a family member. He was treated and released.
Patron reports that the operator of the Chevrolet K1500 pickup truck, an East Otis resident, said the boys ran into his path and he was unable to avoid a collision.
A motorist following the pickup truck supported his account of the accident and said that the ‘no passing’ lights on the bus were not flashing at the time of the accident.
Capt. Michael McCabe said that the boys “got out of school two minutes early” and ran out of the school.
He said that, as they ran between the buses, the boys vaulted the safety arm which is deployed in front of the parked bus when it is stopped.
McCabe also said that the drivers do not activate the ‘no passing’ lights on their buses until they are boarding or discharging passengers.
