Five elementary school students and two drivers were injured in a serious collision involving a school bus and a work van on Thursday afternoon in Vernon.
Vernon Police Department officers were called to the collision at Route 83 and Pleasantview Drive in Vernon about 3:35 p.m. and found a school bus and a Ford work van with heavy front-end damage, according to town officials.
First responders, including police, firefighters and EMTs, responded to the scene and immediately rendered first aid to the children, who were coming from Skinner Road School, and the drivers.
Town officials said five of the six children on the school bus, the school bus driver and the driver of the van were taken to area hospitals with injuries described as non-life-threatening.
According to town officials, Skinner Road School principal Bryan Kerachsky responded to the scene to comfort students and followed students to the hospital. Vernon Public Schools superintendent Dr. Joseph P. Macary went to Rockville General Hospital and Connecticut Children’s Medical Center to check on the students and meet with their families.
Town officials said Route 83 from Dobson to Pitkin Roads was closed during the investigation.
The collision remains under investigation. Any witnesses to the crash are asked to contact Vernon police at 860-872-9126.