Bus driver hurt in Sunrise Highway crash

The driver of a mini-school bus was injured when it was hit from behind by a tractor-trailer Monday morning on Sunrise Highway in Islip Terrace, the Suffolk County Sheriff's office said.

The driver, a 39-year-old woman, was transported to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore with minor neck and back pain, according to a sheriff's report. No other injuries were reported. Students were not on the bus.

The accident occurred at about 9:50 a.m. when polystyrene insulation blew off the back of another truck driving westbound on Sunrise Highway, the report said.

As the bus driver stopped quickly to avoid hitting the polystyrene panels, a truck from EarthCare, a Deer Park wastewater treatment company, rear-ended the bus, authorities said.

Sunrise was closed to westbound traffic near Connetquot Avenue and Exit 45, Islip Avenue, for a short time so crews could clean engine coolant from the roadway, the sheriff's office said.