A school bus with young passengers on board was involved in a collision with a car on the morning of Sunday, November 29, 2015 in Lakewood, New Jersey. The two vehicles crashed on West County Line Road, which led to the car being set ablaze. Although the details surrounding the accident remain unclear and the exact cause of the crash is not yet known, all children on board the bus were reported as uninjured. The car was severely damaged as a result of the fire that followed the crash.
The roadway near the corner of Teaberry Court was closed for the better part of an hour after the collision as the crash scene was cleaned up, with the road reopening after a 40-minute time period. Detours were put in place, but traffic was light and the closure did not result in any further problems for travelers. Firefighters from Debartolomeis and Lakewood Fire Departments responded on scene to put out the car fire and assess injuries. The fire did not spread to the bus involved in the crash, nor to any surrounding scenery.
The crash remains under investigation by authorities at this time. It is not known whether driver intoxication, distraction, or weather conditions may have played a role in the collision. The ages of the bus occupants have not been published, although the passengers were reported as being minor children.
According to statistics published by the New Jersey State Police Department, traffic accidents in 2015 have resulted in injury or fatality less often than in 2014 or 2013, with fatal crashes decreasing by more than 3 percent. The total number of crashes has been decreasing steadily since 2011 statewide, and in 2014 more than half of the traffic accidents that took place on N ew Jersey roadways resulted in property damage only.