UPDATE FROM THE CHARLES COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
La Plata, MD – On Jan. 5 at 7 a.m., officers responded to the 5300 block of Hawthorne Road in La Plata for the report of a crash involving a school bus.
A preliminary investigation showed the driver of the bus, 79, from Indian Head, was traveling east on Hawthorne Road when he ran into the back of a Nissan Maxima which was stopped in the eastbound lanes waiting to make a left turn into a parking lot.
When the bus hit the car, the vehicle was forced into the westbound side of Hawthorne Road where it was struck by two cars traveling west.
At the time of the crash, 16 high school students were on the bus; they were transported to the hospital where they were treated and released. No one had significant injuries. The bus driver was also treated.
The occupant of the car that was initially struck was transported to the hospital where she was treated and released and the remaining two drivers were treated on the scene.
PFC P. McPherson of the Traffic Operations Unit is investigating.
Indian Head, MD – A school bus accident in Charles County just before 7 a.m. Monday, Jan. 5 resulted in 16 students being treated for minor injuries and injuries to two others as well.
The bus was en route to Lackey High School when the bus driver failed to stop in time for a car at the intersection of Hawthorne Road and Chicamuxen Road, according to Bill Smith, public information officer for the Charles County Fire Department.
The 16 students and the driver were transported to Charles County Medical Center in La Plata with minor injuries.
The driver of the car was admitted with serious injuries.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation.
Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com