Driver, Students Trapped After School Bus Crashes into Utility Pole

STAMFORD, Conn. — A school bus here crashed into a utility pole on Thursday morning, trapping several students inside due to live power lines, The Stamford Advocate reports.

Sgt. Sean Boeger of Stamford Police Department told the newspaper that the incident occurred on a curve on West Trail at about 7 a.m. The bus was taking a left-hand turn and hit an ice patch, causing it to crash into a telephone pole near the intersection of Sun Dance Rd., according to the newspaper. Boeger added that no one was injured in the crash.

The bus driver and the three students, from Rippowam Middle School and the Academy of Information Technology and Engineering, remained inside the bus for about a half hour before power could be shut off to the electrical lines that were on top of the bus, The Stamford Advocate reports. The road was closed for a few hours after the crash as crews worked to remove the power lines and replace the pole, according to the newspaper.

Earl Kim, the superintendent for Stamford Public Schools, released a statement, according to The Stamford Advocate, commending the bus driver, the students, and emergency personnel for their quick and positive response to “what could have been a much more serious situation.”

Jay Brock, a spokesperson for First Student, the company that the district contracts their buses with, told the newspaper that even though the bus driver followed protocol, the driver has been suspended as a precaution, pending an active investigation.

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