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Jun 28, 2023
School bus accident in Belgrade sends people to the hospital
Jun. 6—Two people were injured Tuesday in a crash involving two vehicles and a
Jun. 6—Two people were injured Tuesday in a crash involving two vehicles and a school bus in Belgrade.
None of the six children who were passengers on the Regional School District 18 bus was injured, but two others in another vehicle required medical treatment, according to a release from Shannon Moss, spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety.
Tuesday's crash was the second serious collision involving a school bus within the past week. A 13-year-old Gray-New Gloucester Middle School student was struck and seriously injured when a tractor-trailer truck apparently failed to stop for a school bus on May 30.
On Tuesday, the RSU 18 school bus was stopped and letting children off when it was struck from behind. The bus' stop lights were activated at the time.
A Dodge Caravan operated by 24-year-old Michael Grier Jr. of Belgrade struck the rear-end of a Ford Fusion that was legally stopped behind the bus. The force of the collision pushed the Fusion into the rear of the bus where it became wedged beneath it.
Occupants of the Fusion were taken to a local hospital and released. The driver and passenger in the Caravan were not injured. There were six children and a driver on the bus.
There have been 411 crashes involving school buses in Maine since the beginning of 2019, according to the Bureau of Highway Safety. Three were fatal crashes — one in 2019 and two in 2022, and injuries were reported in 68 of the crashes. So far this year, there have been 37 crashes involving school buses, 10 involving injuries.
The 13-year-old Gray-New Gloucester Middle School student was hit by the truck while crossing Lewiston Road (Route 100) in Gray. Police and school officials say the bus was stopped at a regular bus stop with its flashing lights and flashing stop arm engaged.
School and family members say the student suffered significant injuries.
The teen hasn't been identified, but his mother, Heather Phillips, started a GoFundMe fundraiser to help cover medical costs and the family's expenses in the coming weeks. As of Tuesday, she has raised more than $23,000.
The boy is going to be taken to Boston where he will undergo rehabilitation treatment at Mass General Brigham Spaulding Rehabilitation Center, according to his mother.