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SEARCHA bus driver is dead after officials said she was struck and pinned between two buses outside of a middle school in Newark.
The bus driver was preparing to conduct an emergency exit drill the morning of Oct. 23. As the investigation continues, troopers ask for witnesses to come forward with any relevant information.
Photo: School Bus Fleet
On Thursday morning, a school bus driver died after officials said she was pinned between two school buses outside a Newark, Delaware, middle school.
According to Delaware State Police, the incident occurred just before 7 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, at Gauger-Cobbs Middle School.
A school bus was parked in the drop-off lane at the middle school, with a second school bus positioned "directly behind the first bus." As the bus driver, recently identified as 54-year-old Wanda Montalvo de Garcia, "prepared to conduct an emergency exit drill behind the first bus, the second bus drifted forward for unknown reasons and struck her."
⚠️Delaware State Police are investigating a serious crash at Gauger-Cobbs Middle School parking lot. At this time, no reported injury to students. We will provide updates as soon as more information is available via news release. pic.twitter.com/Aj3ui6mFYF
— Delaware State Police (@DEStatePolice) October 23, 2025
According to NBC10 Philadelphia, when first responders arrived, officials said Montalvo de Garcia was unresponsive and went into cardiac arrest "shortly after." Montalvo de Garcia was taken to an area hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The school buses were carrying 48 students, according to police, with no student injuries reported. The driver of the second bus, a 53-year-old woman, was not injured.
The Delaware State Police Troop 2 Collision Reconstruction Unit continues to investigate this crash. Troopers ask anyone who witnessed the crash or has relevant information to contact Master Corporal R. Kunicki at (302) 365-8417.
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