A school bus laden with middle school students crashed into a utility pole early in the morning of Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2014, leaving 11 students and the driver injured. The bus was reportedly attempting to dodge a white SUV that cut right in front of the bus in the school parking lot during early-morning drop off hours at Shue Medill Middle School on Capital Trail in Newark, Delaware. The evasive maneuver resulted in the bus smashing into a light pole. Of the two dozen people on board at the time of the incident, half of them reported injuries, including the driver of the bus, 60-year-old Arlene A. Holden.
The SUV allegedly sped away from the scene of the accident following the near-collision with the bus. The bus itself had driven partially up the utility pole into which it had crashed, causing both front wheels to leave the ground and leaving the bus with moderate damage and the pole with severe damage. Paramedics rushed from fire departments in the area to treat the injured on site and ambulances later transported all injured parties to area hospitals—Ms. Holden to Christiana Hospital, and the students to the Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington. No injuries were reported as being life-threatening, and most injuries were described as soft-tissue-related or complaints of back pain.
Holden has been confirmed as having had her seatbelt properly fastened at the time of the crash. The identity of the person driving the white SUV has not been established, and Delaware State Police are continuing to investigate the incident in order to see if that information can be obtained. It is not known whether there is parking lot surveillance footage of the incident, or whether charges will be filed as a result of the crash. All parents of students on board the bus at the time of the crash, both those who were injured and those who did not report injuries, were informed of the incident.