A three vehicle crash happened on I-270 yesterday in Urbana. One of the vehicles involved was a Frederick County School bus. Thankfully no one was seriously injured.
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Urbana, Md (KM) A three-vehicle crash on southbound Interstate 270 in Urbana closed the highway for a few hours Wednesday afternoon. One of the vehicles involved was a school bus.
The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office says a Jeep Cherokee traveling south on I-270 near Route 80 clipped a box truck, which caused the Cherokee to spin and strike the school bus. The bus went off the road and struck a guardrail. Deputies say the bus did not overturn, but was hanging precariously over a hill.
“Fortunately, it doesn’t look there were any serious injuries,” says School System spokesman Michael Doerrer. “We had three people aboard the bus. Two adults: one was the driver and one was a bus assistant; and we had one student aboard the bus.”
The Sheriff’s Office says the driver and the student were taken to Frederick Memorial Hospital as a precaution. The bus assistant refused treatment. The driver of the bus is identified as Tresa Bradshaw, 60, of Adamstown. The adult passenger was Sharon Murphy, 57, also of Adamstown. The student’s name is not being released.
The crash closed all southbound lanes of I-270 near Route 80 for a few hours Wednesday afternoon. Authorities say I-270 has reopened.
The Sheriff’s Office is investigating this crash because it involves a school bus. The agency cited the driver of the Cherokee, Janet Hargett, 73, of Brunswick, with making an unsafe lane change. Deputies say Hargett was traveling in the left lane and attempted to make a move to the right lane, striking the front of the box truck operated by Konstantinos Kalpouzanis, 32, of York, Pennsylvania. Investigators say Hargett was trying to get to the exit ramp from I-270 to Route 80.
Debris from the crash struck and damaged a Chevrolet MPV operated by Kristopher Willlard, 28, of Frederick.
Doerrer says it’s not unusual for a school bus to transport a small number of students on one trip. “We transport individual students for various reasons throughout the day,” he says. “We have students who need to get to and from programs and events. We generally run a bus. And that happens regularly. It’s not unusual.”
Despite this crash, Doerrer says the school buses are safe. “Putting your child on the bus to and from school or to go to field trips or anywhere else is the safest way to travel down the road. Our drivers are skilled professional drivers who know exactly what they’re doing,” he says.
The State Highway Administration repaired the guardrail which was damaged during the crash.
By Kevin McManus