Students Injured In Morning School Bus Crash

An accident this morning at the intersection of Newtons Corner Road and Herbertsville Road sent several of the people involved, including several Freehold Regional High School District students from Howell, to the hospital. 

At 7:25 a.m. Friday, a bus driven by Zdzislawa Sojak, 64, of Howell stopped at a stop sign at the intersection with three students on his bus. While he was stopped, a Ford van driven by Ramon Pacheco, 36, of Trenton was approaching the intersection and signaled a right turn from Herbertsville Road into the intersection with Allenwood Road.

According to the Howell Police Department, Sojak believed that he was signaling to turn onto Newtons Corner Road and started to move when the two vehicles crashed. The force of the crash caused Pacheco's van to veer across the street and hit a tree, police said. The report said the bus sustained damage to its front end with Sojak taken to Kimball Medical Center reporting of leg and neck pain. 

Two students were taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center for what was described as "minor head injuries." For Pacheco's vehicle, neither the driver nor two passengers in his van needed medical attention.

As a result of the crash, Sojak was given a summons for a stop sign violation. According to James Quirk, the communications coordinator for the Freehold Regional High School District, steps are being taken to look into the crash. "We have an internal protocol that we follow in these instances and we're investigating the matter to determine the proper course of action," he said. 

Quirk said the two students taken to the hospital have since been released.

Several local organizations reported to the scene including the Howell Police Department EMS, the Ramtown Fire Department and the Ramtown First Aid Squad as well as the Farmingdale-Howell First Aid Squad.