The bus rollover crash that killed two people and injured dozens on Thursday in Orange County is something no one expects to happen, including first responders, but they are trained for such emergency responses.
A day after the crash, state police officers shared with Spectrum News 1 what unfolded when they arrived at the scene. Some of the first to get to the scene on I-84 are still trying to put into words what they witnessed and dealt with as they assisted more than 40 injured students and adults.
Right when the call of a bus down an embankment came in, New York state troopers immediately responded to assist with rescue efforts.
“I’ve been a trooper for 21 years, been in the commercial vehicle enforcement unit for over 16. I've never seen anything like this before,” State Police Sgt. Gregory Spak said.
Spak was a few miles down the road from where the crash occurred. He and other troopers raced to the scene to begin the extrication process.
“It was a very tough scene with a variety of injuries from the students, some more severe than others,” Spak said.
First responders from throughout the area rushed to their aid.
Trooper Jason Lewis, who’s also been on the job for 21 years, was one of them.
“They’re young high school students, and just as if my children were responding or going on a class trip, the priority are these children and all individuals that are on this bus,” Lewis said.
He said officers are trained to respond to emergency situations the same way — with CPR, first aid and rescue skills they learned at the academy and on the job over the years.
“You just do what you got to do,” Lewis said. “You put everything behind, and you just tend.”
The troopers say the students were in shock, but surprisingly calm. Everyone was helping each other at the scene.
“Having a familiar face near you is something that really, you know, is a helpful thing when it's such a chaotic scene,” Spak said.
The recovery process to get the bus out of the ravine took several hours. It’s now located at State Police Troop F in Middletown, where an investigation into what happened is expected to take place.