SUV Driver Killed, Bus Driver Seriously Hurt and Five Students Injured in Crash With a School Bus in Upstate New York

A driver was killed and six people were hurt Thursday afternoon when an SUV crashed into a school bus carrying 16 students on a rural road in Jefferson County, New York, according to New York State Police accounts reported by local outlets.

The crash happened at about 2:56 p.m. on County Route 75 in the Town of Henderson, CNYCentral reported, citing state police. WWNY, the Watertown television station, placed the scene near Smithville and put the time at around 3 p.m.. The bus belonged to the Belleville-Henderson Central School District.

A preliminary investigation found the SUV was heading north on County Route 75 "at a high rate of speed" when it struck the southbound school bus, CNYCentral reported. The driver of the SUV died, and police had not released the driver's name as of Thursday evening.

WWNY reported that the impact set the SUV on fire, and Gray News, which carried the station's report to sister stations across the country, also described a fiery crash. A state police photo published by CNYCentral showed severe damage to the front of the bus.

County Route 75 was shut down for several hours while accident reconstruction teams worked the scene, WWNY reported. State police said their investigation is ongoing.

The bus driver, a man, was seriously injured and taken to Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown, CNYCentral reported. The reports did not include an update on his condition.

Five of the 16 students were hurt, and police described all of their injuries as minor. Four of the children were taken to Samaritan Medical Center, and a parent drove the fifth to Carthage Area Hospital. Police at first counted four injured children before raising the number to five, according to WWNY.

The other 11 students were brought to the Smithville fire station, where parents and guardians came to pick them up. None of the reports included a statement from the school district.

Crashes like this one shake a community in part because they are so uncommon. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration calls school buses the safest vehicles on the road and says a child is about 70 times more likely to get to school safely on a bus than in a car. Federal safety officials credit the way the buses are built, including their bright color, flashing lights and stop arms, and strong, closely spaced seats with energy-absorbing high backs that protect riders in a crash.

In Thursday's collision, the most serious injuries were suffered by the two adults at the wheel: the SUV driver who died and the bus driver who was hospitalized, according to the police accounts.

Investigators have not said why the SUV was traveling at high speed, and the driver's identity has not been made public. Accident reconstruction teams are investigating the crash, WWNY reported. Liberty Bell Report will update this story as state police and the school district share more information.

Tonight our prayers are with the family of the driver who died, with the injured bus driver and his loved ones, and with the students, parents and teachers of Belleville-Henderson as they look after one another in the days ahead.