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At 12:47 p.m. today Massachusetts State Police received numerous calls reporting a crash between a school bus and a pickup truck, causing the bus to roll over the guardrail on the southbound side of Route 95 in Waltham.
Responding troopers and Waltham firefighters found the bus on its side off the right side of the road, up against a stone ledge. The driver, adult monitor, and 22 students were out of the bus upon troopers’ arrival on-scene. Ten students reported minor injuries and were transported by ambulances to area hospitals. The other 12 students were also transported for precautionary evaluations. The juveniles were taken to Boston Children’s Hospital, Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital, and Newton-Wellesley Hospital. The bus driver and monitor were also being evaluated for precautionary reasons only at a hospital.
Preliminary investigation by Troop H of the Massachusetts State Police indicates that the bus was traveling southbound, south of the exit for Route 20 (Exit 26), when a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado, also being operated southbound, collided with the bus. The impact caused the bus to veer to the right and roll over the guardrail onto an embankment leading to a stone ledge.
The students are in grades 6-8 at Ephraim Curtis Middle School in Sudbury. The bus is a Thomas Built Saf-T-Liner.
The driver of the bus is a 54-year-old man from Everett. The monitor is a 54-year-old Mattapan man.
The driver of the Silverado is a 29-year-old Belmont man.
State Police only release names of operators who are charged criminally. At this point in the investigation, no charges have yet been filed.
All students had been examined, and treated and released from the hospital, or were expected to be released, by late this afternoon. All had been reunited with their parents. State Police sent personnel to each hospital to help communicate the situation with parents and school officials.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by Troop H of the Massachusetts State Police, with assistance from the State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit. Troopers from Troop A also provided assistance at the scene, along with the Waltham Fire Department.
The bus has been pulled upright and removed from the scene.
