Minor injuries for 5 in school bus accident
A BOCES mini-school bus overturned about 2:20 p.m. Wednesday after being struck by a vehicle at Route 31 and Stewart Avenue in Westhampton. Three students between the ages of 10 and 12 were reportedly injured, along with the bus driver and a bus aide; they were taken Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead. (Sept. 14, 2011) Credit: James Carbone
Police have identified the driver of an SUV they said ran a red light Wednesday in Westhampton, striking a school bus, causing it to overturn and injuring five people aboard the bus, including three students.
Rona Pereira, 31, of Southampton, was issued two summonses -- one for running the red light, the other for unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, State Police said.
The crash occurred at 2:20 p.m. on County Road 31.
Police said the minibus was leaving Gabreski Airport straight on Stewart Avenue and had a green light when Pereira, driving a 2001 Ford Explorer, went through a red light and struck the bus in the rear driver's side.
The force of the impact caused the bus to spin around and flip, police said.
The bus driver, identified by police as Doris Baroni, 35, of Shirley, was not injured.
However, three students, all of whom attend Eastern Suffolk County BOCES, were taken to Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead for precautionary reason. Two teacher aides, Christine Gaska, 27, and Annmarie Whalen, 58, also were taken there by Westhampton War Memorial Ambulance with what police called non-life-threatening injuries.
No other information was immediately available.
Sarra Sounds Off, Ep. 25: Wrestling and hockey state championships On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Gregg Sarra and Matt Lindsay recap all the state wrestling action from Albany this past weekend, plus Jared Valluzzi has the ice hockey championship results from Binghamton.
Sarra Sounds Off, Ep. 25: Wrestling and hockey state championships On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Gregg Sarra and Matt Lindsay recap all the state wrestling action from Albany this past weekend, plus Jared Valluzzi has the ice hockey championship results from Binghamton.
