Nearly 40 passengers including dozens of high school students and chaperones were injured when the driver of a charter bus hit a bridge with low-clearance warning signs. Of those injured, one passenger was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries and three with serious injuries, the Boston Emergency Medical Services said.
The bus was headed back to the Philadelphia area from a trip to Harvard University when it struck an overpass last night on Soldier's Field Road in Boston, a major roadway to the Massachusetts Turnpike. Some passengers were trapped for more than an hour before rescue crews were able to free them, according to an article by ABC News.
Oversized vehicles such as coach busses are not permitted on the road, which has a 10-foot height limit. The driver, who not injured, failed to heed warning signs and will likely be cited for an over-height violation and possibly more serious charges, state police said. The driver also drives a school bus.
The students were part of a nonprofit organization that helps underprivileged youth. The trip to Harvard was to tour the campus and meet with the office of cultural advancement, followed by a visit to Harvard Square, the group's Facebook page said. The front of the bus’s roof was crushed and the middle was bent downward. State police do not yet know how many of those injured were adults and how many were students. Firefighters had to stand on top of the bus and use boards to rescue people in the frigid weather.
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