Several students and a teacher who were injured in a head-on collision Wednesday morning will recover just fine, thanks to the quick-thinking skills of a schoolbus driver, said authorities.
Forty-five grade 10 students and three teachers from Lakefield District Secondary School were on the school bus on their way to Ottawa for a field trip when the vehicle collided with a pickup truck just before 7 a.m. The accident happened on Highway 7, just west of Norwood.
In total seven people were taken to hospital including students, a teacher and the two drivers. Everyone suffered minor, non life-threatening injuries.
The school bus was not equipped with seatbelts as these types of vehicles are not legally required to be outfitted with the restraints.
After the impact, the schoolbus driver swerved, rolling into a wooded area and into a tree. He managed to keep the bus from rolling over. That kept everyone relatively safe, authorities said.
An Ontario Provincial Police officer at the scene told CTV Toronto the bus driver was "hanging on for dear life and making sure the bus stayed straight."
"He did a pretty good job," he said.
The owner of the bus company Lisa Howie said she has no doubt the driver's experience came into play.
Phil Yates has been a driver with the Hamilton Ellwood Bus lines for 22 years, she said. He suffered some swelling in his hand and bruising in his arm but he nonetheless, he was anxious to get back to work, said Howie.
"Terrifying"
The students involved in the crash were also anxious to get back to school and speak with their parents.
One teen told CTV Toronto she hit the top of the bus and hit her face when the accident occurred.
"It was terrifying," she said. "I thought I was going to die."
The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board said they have sent counsellors to the school to speak with students who were traumatized by the accident.
There is no word on whether any charges will be laid in the accident.
