More than a dozen students were injured along with a driver in a crash involving a school bus and a tractor trailer in South Harrison Township. A last minute swerve may have saved lives however.
A truck driver and 14 students were hurt in an accident involving a school bus and a tractor trailer in Gloucester County, New Jersey.
The accident occurred in South Harrison Township around 3:20 p.m. Monday. A bus, which is owned by Holcomb Bus Co., was carrying 22 students from Gloucester County Institute of Technology (GCIT).
Police say the bus made a left turn from Ferrell Road in front of a Herrell Trucking Company tractor trailer traveling on Monroeville Road.
Clinton Herrell, the owner of Herrell Trucking, told NBC10 his driver made a split-second decision to veer off the road and into trees.
"So he didn't want to hit the brakes so he directed it to the right and into the woods," Herrell said.
While the vehicles still struck each other, it wasn't a head-on collision.
The driver of the tractor trailer, along with 14 students who were on the bus, were taken to five area hospitals. None of their injuries were life-threatening.
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Herrell told NBC10 his driver has a clean driving record. He also believes his quick thinking saved lives.
"He wasn't worried about himself," Herrell said. "He was worried about the kids on the bus."
Along with police, firefighters and medics, the Gloucester County Hazmat Assessment Unit also responded to the scene due to diesel fuel that leaked from the tractor trailer.
The National Transportation Safety Board has been notified.
