Bus Hits Bus

by Thomas Breen

No people were injured in the smashing of this personal-injury-lawyer ad.

Police temporarily blocked off a downtown intersection Monday afternoon after a city bus collided with the front mirror of a school bus — causing no injuries, but leaving 31 East Rock School students waiting for another First Student bus to pick them up and take them home.

That crash took place at around 3 p.m. on Orange Street near the intersection with Elm Street.

City police Officer Sevy Velazquez said that, fortunately, no one was injured during the crash.

East Rock School Principal Sabrina Breland said that 31 students were on the First Student bus. Velazquez said that, besides the bus driver, no one else was on the CTtransit bus.

“We have not yet heard what caused the crash, though apparently the mirrors became entangled,” New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) spokesperson Justin Harmon told the Independent. “Fortunately the students are okay. The students are being provided with another bus by First Student.”

The CTtransit bus appears to have been turning left, heading from an eastbound lane of Elm Street to the northbound lane of Orange Street, when it collided with the protruding front mirror of the First Transit school bus, which was in a southbound lane on Orange Street.

CTtransit personnel on scene, including the bus driver, declined to talk with the Independent for this story.

Principal Breland said she wasn’t on the school bus at the time of the crash, but came downtown as soon as she heard about what happen.

“I love the kids,” she said about her school’s students on the bus. “I wanted to make sure they’re safe.”

“CTtransit takes incidents very seriously,” CTtransit spokesperson Vanessa Brooks said in an email comment Monday. “We are grateful that no injuries were reported among those aboard the school bus or the CTtransit vehicle. The safety of our valued customers, operators, and the public we serve remains our highest priority. We are thankful that our first responders and supervisory team responded promptly to the scene to ensure the safety and well-being of all involved. A full investigation is currently underway.”

At the corner of Orange and Elm.

Officer Velazquez: Everyone’s okay.