School minibus crashes in Plainview; injuries 'very minor,' police say

Six people, three of them children, were taken to hospitals after a three-vehicle crash that started when a driver suffered a medical event and broadsided a school minibus Wednesday in Plainview, authorities said.

All the injuries were "very minor," Nassau police said.

The crash happened about 2:55 p.m. at Old Country Road and Orchard Street, police said.

A driver going west on Old Country Road had a diabetic emergency and hit the school minibus, which was trying to turn right from Orchard onto Old Country Road, said 2nd Deputy Chief Erik Rivera of the Plainview Fire Department. The first vehicle then crashed into another vehicle, he said.

Two of the three children on the bus, ages 4 to 6, had minor injuries. The condition of the third child, who suffered a bump to her head, was not immediately known, Rivera said.

"They were crying, they were scared," the fire chief said. But he and other rescuers calmly assured them that they would be all right and taken care of, he said.

The  injured were taken to three area hospitals, Rivera said. Along with the driver who had a medical emergency, a chaperone or teacher on the bus and a man in the third vehicle were taken to hospitals, he said.

 Because of the number of injured, Rivera said, he asked the Bethpage and Hicksville fire departments to assist Plainview firefighters in the response. About 25 firefighters were at the scene, he said: "Everybody worked together in unison."

With Stefanie Dazio