Brighton neighborhood shocked by accident involving high school and elementary students

Posted at: 10/09/2012 11:30 PM | Updated at: 10/09/2012 11:31 PM
By: Don Hudson | WHEC.com

A Brighton neighborhood is shocked by an awful accident involving teenagers and a school bus.

The brutal car accident saw a car wedged under the bus. All of the teens in the car were taken to the hospital.

On Tuesday night, police are investigating, while doctors and nurses continue to treat the injured.

The crash happened at 3.30 p.m. on Warren Avenue, between Edgewood and Clover.

The elementary students who were on the bus were not injured. However, a couple of Brighton High School students are recovering inside Strong Hospital and 2 are being treated for serious injuries. One of the victims suffered major trauma.

David Lawrence said, "We were at the stop sign back here and we heard the impact."

For the neighborhood, this tragedy started with a loud noise, followed by loud screams.

Glenn Miller said, "The girl in particular was screaming. Your heart was just breaking."

Neighbors who live on Warren Avenue in Brighton say the bus driver first tended to the children on the bus. Once they were secured, the driver tried to move the bus off the car, but that didn't work. 

David Lawrence said, "The car was being dragged so he stopped."

Neighbors said the passenger on the driver's side then managed to get out of the smashed car.

David Lawrence said, "One of the boys got out and was talking to the driver in the front. Stay with us."

Glenn Miller said, "He pulls the driver out and then they assist the girl out."

Ryan Lawrence, a Brighton high student said that at that moment he realized this was not just an accident, but an accident involving classmates and friends.

Ryan Lawrence said,"I felt really shocked. I didn't expect them to be Brighton students."

3 of the teenagers were out of the car. Unfortunately the teen who was in the front passenger seat was seriously injured and trapped.

Glenn Miller said, "They were yelling at the kid, Scott, stay with us kind of thing."

Emergency crews arrived and began working on the teen and working on getting him out of the car... a process that would go on for 40 agonizing minutes.

Captain Stephen Macadams from the Brighton Fire Department said, "Usually the goal is 20 minutes, but this took 40... which considering was relatively quickly."

When they got him out, his father, who was watching from a house right in front of the accident realized it was his son.

As emergency workers raced him to the hospital, police rushed his father there as well. Neighbors and friends, like Ryan, were left to do the only thing they could.

Ryan Lawrence said, "I'm just praying and hoping out of everything I can do that he can be ok."

While Ryan and other classmates pray, police are still investigating.

Brighton Police Chief Mark Henderson said they are looking at everything surrounding this awful incident... including speed, sun glare and road conditions.

Right now speed appears to be the contributing factor, especially with the car so far under the bus.

So far no charges have been filed and no cause has been released.

Everyone News10NBC spoke with on Tuesday night said cars often speed down Warren Avenue way over the 25 mile per hour speed limit.

Ryan Lawrence, who knows the victims, actually did a study for a school project and caught all kinds of cars speeding and failing to stop at the stop signs.

Hopefully all of that will now change.

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