Middleburg, FL : Several students suffer injuries in crash involving 3 school buses in clay County on Monday, April 18, 2016

There were about 80 to 90 students from Wilkinson Junior High School on board when the driver of the first northbound bus stopped quickly for a red light at County Road 220 and Blanding Boulevard about 4 p.m., according to the Clay County school district and Florida Highway Patrol.

The Highway Patrol’s initial report indicated 17 students were transported to hospitals while the school district said there were 23 students taken for treatment.

Veronica Burgess, 58, of Orange Park was the bus driver who stopped at the light, according to the FHP. Lisa Spinek, 42, and Amanda Masters, 27, both of Middleburg, were driving the other two buses.

Masters was able to stop behind the first bus, but Spinek rear-ended her, according to the FHP. The second bus was pushed forward and into the first bus after the impact.

The buses were evacuated into the median where some of the students were treated for minor injuries and others were taken to hospitals, according to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.

None of the injuries was life-threatening, according to the school district.

Traffic on Blanding was diverted onto County Road 220 after the crash and one northbound lane of Blanding was blocked, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Students were released to their parents at the scene or taken home on other buses once they were cleared by the FHP, according to the school district.

There was another crash involving a school bus Monday in Clay County, but nobody was injured when a driver failed to yield as he backed out of a driveway on Forest Meadow Lane about 3:30 p.m., according to the FHP.

There were nine passengers on the bus, according to the FHP.

Source :
Several students suffer injuries in Clay County crash involving 3 school buses