SCHOOL BUS CRASH REPORTS 2007

Ten Injured In School Bus Accident In Queens
May 9, 2007

Eight children and two adults suffered minor injuries when the school bus they were riding in collided with a stolen car Tuesday afternoon in the Little Neck section of Queens.

The NYPD says a police cruiser was on the tail of a Nissan SUV after reports that the car had been stolen during a nearby burglary when the SUV collided with the bus, causing it to overturn.

“There were cries for help and some guy called the ambulance and the cops and they came right away, ‘cause the cops were right behind,” said 10-year-old Justin Simonian who walked away with three stitches on his hand and a scratch on his face.

The driver kept going after the crash, but police managed finally to block his car and caught the suspect after a foot chase.

UPS employee Peter Aruta says he saw it all happen. He says it looked like a high-speed chase when the Nissan Murano and the police car with sirens and lights flashing passed him on Douglaston Avenue.

“He was right on him,” said Aruta. “He was trying to get him to pull over, I guess, but that guy wasn't stopping.”

Police say the man driving the now-wrecked Nissan had stolen the car earlier in the day from the home of an off duty police officer, which he burglarized.

Aruta says he saw the kids trapped inside and sprang into action.

"One of the little girls was hanging in her seat, she had the seat belt,” said Aruta. “Thank God all the kids were wearing their seat belts. Hats off to the people doing the bus. She was hanging there, so I climbed up on top of the bus and then a police officer climbed up on top of the bus and we grabbed her and we were able to pull her up while they undid her seat belt."

The children on board were special education students at the Lowell School. The driver and aide were also injured. They were all taken to North Shore University Hospital where they were treated for minor injuries and released.

“It was very, very scary. And it’s a good thing they caught the guy,” said Simonian.

One officer also suffered minor injuries during the chase.

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