Eleven kids and one adult were injured Thursday morning in Edmonton when the school bus they were riding in crashed into a retaining wall on the Whitemud.
Emergency medical services responded to the crash just before the 149 Street exit at about 8:15 a.m. Police responded about 15 minutes later.
A total of 23 children were on board, according to Edmonton police. Eleven of those kids were taken to hospital in stable condition.
“Two patients suffered broken bones. All patients were in stable condition,” Sabrina Atwal, a spokeswoman for the Alberta Health Services, told the Canadian Press in an email.
The other 12 kids were uninjured and were taken to their respective schools.
Watch below: Eleven children and a driver were taken to hospital after a school bus crashed into a cement barrier along Edmonton’s Whitemud Drive Thursday morning. Kent Morrison has more.
Megan Normandeau, a spokeswoman for Edmonton Public Schools, said the Golden Arrow bus was on the way to Meadowlark, Rio Terrace and Lynnwood schools.
“Transportation safety personnel from Edmonton Public Schools and Golden Arrow are on site and parents of the children involved are being contacted directly,” she said. “Safety is our top priority, both at school and on the bus.”
Normandeau said they will work with Golden Arrow and police to determine what happened.
The bus driver was taken to hospital with minor injuries, police said.
Video from Global 1 news helicopter showed a number of ambulances lined up along the shoulder of the busy freeway as a group of children huddled on the grass.
The front end of the bus appeared to be extensively damaged from the crash into the concrete wall.
A general manager for Golden Arrow said an initial statement from the bus driver, who likely suffered some broken bones, indicated he had been cut off.
“He claims that a motor transport vehicle had come across and caught the front left of the school bus,” said Brian Hauptman, who is responsible for school bus operations. “He maneuvered the bus to get out of its way and struck the wall.
“There is damage on the left side that I can see,” he added.
Alberta’s education minister said her heart goes out to the children and their families.
“I am relieved to hear that the students from Edmonton Public Schools and the bus driver are safe and we are all hoping for a speedy recovery for those who sustained minor injuries and were taken to hospital,” Adriana LaGrange said in a statement.
Police had to close the curb lane to traffic following the crash, which led to delays for drivers.
According to City of Edmonton traffic cameras, at 10 a.m., westbound traffic could be seen backed up to Terwillegar Drive.
A police spokesperson wasn’t sure how long those delays would continue.
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