Bus carrying special needs students rear-ended on the way to school in Dutchess County
Witnesses described to News 12 the bus turning left to go east on Route 55 at about 8 AM Friday, and an eastbound pickup truck coming through the intersection hitting the bus from behind.
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Five special needs students, their bus driver and bus monitor were all sent to the hospital after their bus was read-ended on a busy stretch of road that has become notorious for traffic, confusion and crashes.
Officials with the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office said the smaller, yellow bus was rear-ended in the intersection of Route 55 and Old Manchester Road just in front of a family shelter operated by Hudson River Housing.
Witnesses described to News 12 the bus turning left to go east on Route 55 at about 8 a.m. Friday, and an eastbound pickup truck coming through the intersection hitting the bus from behind.
Buses enter and leave the shelter parking lot several times each morning and afternoon to pick up and drop off students. Families from the complex are pleading for passing drivers to ease their speeds and drive defensively.
The crash happened right before Marissa Calderon was about to put her daughter on a bus to school.
Calderon said crashes here are common.
"We've seen cars be flipped. We've seen cars hit the poles," Calderon said. "People race through here as [if] it's a speed track."
A New York State Police spokesperson also said his troop often responds to crashes on this high-traffic stretch of Route 55, just east of Poughkeepsie.
No residents who spoke with News 12 said they were surprised by the crash.
Marvin Graves can only shake his head and ask drivers to think about the many children living here, including his daughter.
"It just goes to show something's gotta give with this area right here," he said. "Something's obviously got to change because people are getting into accidents a lot."
A spokesperson for Abilities First said all five students were taken to Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital, evaluated, and released.
The sheriff's office spokesperson said the bus driver and bus monitor suffered minor injuries.
The driver of the truck is OK and was given a ticket, the spokesperson said.
News 12 also confirmed police are investigating a pedestrian crash on Route 55 Thursday evening, just about 200 yards west of where Friday's bus crash happened.
State police said a 30-year-old woman and her 4-year-old son were hit by a motorcycle while crossing Route 55 at a crosswalk.
Both were taken to Mid Hudson Regional Hospital and the son was then airlifted to Westchester Medical Center. Police said the boy's injuries are serious.
