No one was injured after a school bus when off the road, into a ditch and struck a tree on October 15, 2018 in Hamilton Township.
There were seven primary students on board the school bus when it went off the road shortly before 8 a.m. on a straight stretch of Hickerson Road just west of County Road 45 north of Baltimore.
Emergency services including Northumberland OPP, Hamilton Township Fire Department and Northumberland OPP quickly arrived on scene.
The students were heading to St. Joseph’s School and C.R. Gummow School in Cobourg one parent said on scene.
Amanda Maurice said she got the call from the bus company stating the bus went into the ditch and both her children, aged five and seven were fine.
“I felt calm, she (school bus company) said they were in a ditch.
“I got a little bit nervous after that, but she re-assured me the kids were ok.”
Maurice called her husband Richard and the two immediately went to the scene.
When Maurice arrived on scene she was surprised at the amount of damage.
“It was a lot worse then I thought it was going to be.”
“I thought maybe the tail end just ended up in the ditch but it looked a lot more serious than I imagined.”
The couple said when they arrived on scene, their children were smiling and waving to them from inside the bus along with emergency services.
With the lack of seatbelts on school buses Maurice said it crossed her mind, “but knowing the kids are fine it’s very re-assuring.
Her husband Richard added, “it was the first thought in my mind, but we all grew up without them and most of us came out ok.”
Luckily the bus didn’t tip when it went off the road, through the ditch before striking the tree.
“How fast was this bus going to create a 40-50 foot (path) before it stops by a tree?”
“If it tipped over would the seatbelts been a good call – absolutely.”
All seven students were helped from the back of the bus and guided up the ditch by emergency services into another bus and were on their way to school.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
