AP News, December 15th, 2007
A private van taking children to school collided with a city bus Friday, injuring seven children including a 9-year-old girl who was hospitalized in critical condition, officials said.
After the crash, state officials said the van appeared to be carrying the children illegally. It had not been inspected properly, and it was of a type not authorized to transport schoolchildren, they said.
Police and school officials the van made a left turn into the past of an oncoming bus around 8 a.m. in Queens. The ensuing crash sent the van into a violent spin, during which a 5-year-old boy tumbled from the vehicle into the street, authorities said.
That child suffered relatively minor injuries, but a 9-year-old girl remained in critical condition Friday evening.
The other children, ranging in age between 5 and 12, were in stable condition at area hospitals or had been treated and discharged, police and hospital officials said.
Police arrested the van's 60-year-old driver on charges of reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child. He complained of chest pains after the crash and was hospitalized, police said. No information was immediately available on whether he had a lawyer, and he had no listed phone number.
School system spokeswoman Debra Wexler said parents had hired the private van company to drive their children to school, but a Department of Transportation spokeswoman said the 15-passenger Dodge did not meet state regulations for transporting schoolchildren.
In general, 15-passenger vans are prohibited from transporting schoolchildren for safety reasons, said department spokeswoman Jennifer Post. Also, school buses are required to be inspected twice annually by the transportation department, and the van was not, she said.
