Dump truck collides with school bus

SPARTA - There were some frightening moments after a dump truck smashed into a school bus here last week. But thanks to some fast action by two witnesses, the bus driver, a school staff member and 16 female students from Hapatcong High School escaped without major injuries. John Grant and Marine Sgt. Nicholas Gendron put out an engine fire on the bus and helped evacuate the students, the bus driver and teacher. At the time of the accident the Hapatcong students were en route to Sussex Technical School to attend a community service conference. The accident occurred about 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 28, at the intersection of Sparta Avenue and Lafayette Road. Detective/Sgt. Ronald Casteel of the Sparta Police Department said a dump truck, driven by Donald Batson, ran a red light and struck the school bus. Both vehicles veered over an embankment and stopped within feet of the Sparta United Methodist Church. Sgt. Casteel said the truck driver was cited for failure to obey a traffic control device and careless driving. The two adults on the school bus were flown to Morristown Memorial Hospital, where they were treated for cuts and non-life threatening injuries. Nine of the students were taken to Newton Hospital; two to St. Clare’s Hospital in Sussex and five to St. Claire’s Dover campus. All were treated and released. A number of area agencies as well as local citizens also pitched in during the emergency. On the scene were the Sparta Police and Fire Departments, Sparta Volunteer Ambulance Crops, EMS from surrounding communities, the New York State Police and the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office.