At least one person has been killed after a bus carrying a team of lacrosse players from Vermont was involved in a multi-vehicle accident in Clifton Park, New York.
The bus, which was carrying 40 lacrosse team members from St Michael’s College in Vermont, veered out of control on Interstate 87 on Tuesday afternoon, after another car spun out of control on the wet and slippery highway, crashing into the bus. A third vehicle was also involved in the accident. The bus driver lost control after the collision, and the bus toppled over onto its side on the side of the highway, said local police authorities.
One person was killed outright in the accident. Police have since confirmed that the person who was killed was an occupant of one of the other two cars involved in the accident, and not a passenger on the bus.
The deceased was pronounced dead on the scene, after emergency rescue personnel extracted the body from the wreckage of the car. An occupant of the other cars involved was transported to hospital to be treated for minor injuries. The passengers on board the bus were not injured, but were treated on the scene by first responders for shock, anxiety and minor abrasions.
The accident occurred just before noon on Tuesday afternoon on Interstate 87 near Clifton Park, Saratoga County, approximately 150 miles north of New York City.
The lacrosse team, all men from St Michael’s College, a small private arts school in Colchester, Vermont, were on route to a match in Westchester County, north of New York City.
According to eye witness reports, the bus toppled over and landed on its side on the verge of the highway after it was struck by the sedan car in rainy conditions. The accident scene revealed the mangled remains of a red sedan car in the center of the highway. The southbound lanes of Interstate 87 remained closed for several hours following the accident, leading to major back ups in the region. The bus passengers, all clad in their team uniforms of purple and white, were seen standing on the edge of the highway next to the wreckage of the bus after the accident. They were transported by a school bus to a nearby fire station.
The St Michael’s College lacrosse team will continued with their next scheduled match at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, NY, on Wednesday.