LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Kosair Children's Hospital official says three children that were involved in the JCPS bus crash remained in the hospital Saturday afternoon. One of them is in critical condition, but has non life-threatening injuries.
Emergency crews responded Friday morning to a rollover bus crash at Lower River Road at Moorman Road. 50 children were taken from the bus and from a car authorities say caused the crash. Children were taken to St. Mary's, Southwest, Jewish Hospital South, Kosair Children's, Sts. Mary and Elizabeth, and Norton Audubon Hospitals.
An LMPD spokesperson says three high school students who were in a car that led the bus to crash may have been speeding.
Principal Jennifer Wilts confirmed that bus 1250 was headed to Frost Middle School. She tells WDRB that a team from the school went to the scene to help. They are also calling parents of the students involved and asking them to report to Frost Middle School or call the school at 485-8256.
Forty-eight students were on the bus, and all of them were taken to the hospital, as were the three Butler High School students in the car. The bus driver was not transported.
Several ambulances were dispatched to the scene. The wreck happened right in front of a home on Lower River Road. The escape hatch on the top of the bus was open.
Traffic was blocked on both Lower River Road and Moorman Road as dozens of emergency vehicles responded to the scene.
WDRB's Lawrence Smith says he saw three ambulances arrive at Kosair Children's Hospital with children taken from the bus crash. He says he also saw a number of parents arriving at the hospital to see if their children were there and what their conditions might be. Several complained that they had no information about whether their child was at Kosair, at some other hospital, or even among the injured.
Several parents said they were unable to get through to the school. JCPS says in the future, parents should call the school board to find out what they should do to learn about their children's status.
Police were called to the hospital to make sure people remain calm. Eventually all the parents were notified of the status of their child and the scene calmed down.
One parent whose daughter is at Kosair said her child suffered a leg injury, perhaps a broken pelvis, when she was thrown over the seats as the bus tumbled.
Lt. Col. Lee Dennison with Metro EMS tells WDRB's Rachel Collier, "Nobody has life-threatening injuries." He says the medical response bus took a number of people to the hospital all at once. Dennison notes that this was the first time that bus had been used at such a large accident scene.
Dwight Mitchell, a spokesman for Louisville Metro Police, tells WDRB News the call about the wreck came in about 7:15 a.m.
A neighbor, Dean Mulhall, who heard but did not see the crash tells WDRB's Rachel Collier that hearing a wreck is not unusual for that area, but usually you hear squealing brakes before the crash. In this instance, however, the neighbor says there was no sound of brakes, and that the crash sounded like an aluminum can being crushed.
Mulhall and other neighbors ran out to help the children who were in the bus. He says children were lying "everywhere," some of them screaming.
ER personnel from six area hospitals treated the injured children, including Kosair Children's Hospital. Spokesman Brian Rublein said late Friday night, Kosair had admitted eight children and sent another child home after treatment. Those numbers included three children transferred from other facilities.
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