GREECE, N.Y. -- Parents were in a panic Friday afternoon after getting the news that two Greece Central School District buses were involved in a crash on Latta Road near Dewey Avenue.
“I was ready to die, just fall to the ground. I was very worried,” said Juilanne Wallace.
Her son, an 11-year-old at Greece Arcadia Middle School, was one of 85 students aboard the two buses involved in the crash.
Greece Police say one school bus driver rear-ended the bus in front of it after the driver apparently became distracted. Police say the driver was checking on an unruly student through his mirror when the crash happened.
Traffic was blocked off, making it difficult for parents like Wallace to get to her child.
“I was up on Latta and I saw all the lights and I called my husband and I was crying and I was freaking out. It was very scary.”
The Greece Central School District stated that us eight students were transported to the hospital for minor injuries as precaution. Students were evaluated on site by a doctor.
“The bus was just driving and all of a sudden we heard a crash and the bus started flying,” said 13-year-old Autumn Valder. She was on the bus that was rear-ended. She said the accident came out of nowhere.
“Everybody was just talking and all of sudden we just heard the crash and they were all scared and we look behind of us and there’s this big bus that just hit us.“
Valder said her bus driver hit his head on the steering wheel, and another student was injured.
“It was very frightening. I was really scared when it happened. “
Despite the accident and the close call, parents like Shari Miller said they still have trust in the school busing system.
“I have five children they all took the bus successfully. It doesn’t bother me. It’s not worrying me. It can happen anywhere to anyone so I still have faith in the school bus system.”