Several children were taken to hospital – including one who was flown by air ambulance – after a school bus rolled over in a single-vehicle crash near Woodstock on Tuesday morning.
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OXFORD COUNTY – Five children were taken to hospital — one by air ambulance — after a school bus rolled in a single-vehicle crash near Woodstock Tuesday morning, provincial police say.
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There were no serious injuries, Oxford OPP said in a midday release. The pinned child was flown to hospital in London, and the four others were taken to hospital in Woodstock.
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The bus was carrying students to Woodstock Christian school.
the school bus crashed near the rural intersection of Cuthbert Road and Dodge Line, south of Woodstock and east of Ingersoll, 8 a.m., OPP Sgt. Ed Sanchuk said.
School bus crashes: A rare, but frightening, reality on London-area roads
There were about 40 kids aboard the bus at the time, and one was pinned underneath, Sanchuk said in a video posted to social media, Sanchuk said
By 9 a.m. all the parents had been contacted, Sanchuk said.
Officials with the school — which has kids in junior kindergarten to Grade 8, its website said — declined comment.
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At about noon on Tuesday, an OPP cruiser was parked outside the school at 800 Juliana Dr. where a crying woman hugged a man before getting in the front seat of the police vehicle..
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Ages of the injured children weren’t immediately available.
Sanchuk added he wanted to thank the stranger who “came to the aid of all the children on the bus this morning” and helped them out of the bus. CTV London is reporting police say the person ran to the scene from a nearby farmhouse.
“We can’t thank you enough for everything you did,” Sanchuk said. “On behalf of all first responders, thank you.”
The bus driver suffered minor injuries, Sanchuk said.
The bus ended up on its entry-door side in a field on the east side of Dodge Line, just south of Cuthbert Road.
Workers used machinery to remove the overturned bus, which appeared to have a broken front axle, missing front windshield and several shattered side windows.
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Woodstock Mayor Jerry Acchione expressed relief that none of the injuries was considered life-threatening. “My thoughts and prayers are with all the children and their families and those involved.”
The stunning crash prompted several messages of concern on social media.
“My heart goes out to those parents of the ones involved,” one person wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “I wouldn’t want to get a phone call like that. Best of luck to those who are in hospital and hope there (are) no more injuries.”
Added another person: “I pray that all the students and (the) bus driver recover completely and as quickly as possible.”
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