Twenty-four children among those injured in multi-vehicle crash in Queens

The parents of several Queens’ school children were likely panicked to learn that their kids were involved in a recent multi-vehicle crash. As the sounds of tire squeals and metal hitting metal rang out along Hillside Ave. last week, eye witnesses relayed stories of panic and chaos. The accident involved a rental truck, car, school bus and at least four pedestrians and resulted in 30 people being transported to local hospitals.

According to news reports, the rental truck was involved in a collision with both the car and bus at the intersection and then careened out of control and into a storefront. Upon crashing into the storefront, the truck hit four pedestrians and pinned another when it finally came to a stop.

Police report that 24 children who were riding aboard the school bus at the time of the crash, suffered injuries for which they required medical treatment. Additionally, seven adults, including the truck driver, suffered serious injuries and were taken to nearby hospitals.

While police continue to investigate this accident to determine who was at fault and exactly what transpired, speeding and inattentive driving are often factors in collisions that occur at intersections. Injuries that result from these types of motor vehicle accidents may range from painful contusions to traumatic brain injuries. In some cases, serious soft tissue and musculoskeletal injuries suffered in car accidents are not apparent until several days after an accident occurs.

Accidents involving school buses are often of specific concern given the precious cargo onboard and also the fact that passengers are not wearing seat belts. For a child, injuries suffered in this type of traffic accident can have a long-lasting and negative impact on their physical and cognitive health.

Source: Queens Chronicle, “Truck collides with bus, market on Hillside Ave.,” Andrew Benjamin and Michael Gannon, April 23, 2015