Bus full of campers overturns on NJ Turnpike in Cherry Hill
CHERRY HILL, N.J. (WPVI) -- A school bus carrying about two dozen children crashed and overturned on the New Jersey Turnpike on Friday. No serious injuries have been reported.
State police say no other vehicles were involved in the crash, which occurred around 11:40 a.m. in Cherry Hill. The bus ended up on its side on the shoulder of the roadway.
The bus was carrying Boys and Girls Club campers from Plainfield to the Adventure Aquarium in Camden. There were 25 children on board along with three camp counselors and the driver.
Mazyiah Richards, 12, was strapped in but dangling in the aisle when the bus came to rest.
"It started shaking, then we started swerving and the bus was turning over. It was a scary moment," she said.
She said it sounded like the bus was having mechanical issues before the crash. Mazyiah said she heard a noise before the wreck.
"The lady I guess lost control and she started swerving and we hit the tree and it turned over," she said.
Mike Viscuso pulled over to help. His wife, Dena, captured video of the scene.
"I jumped in the bus and I started carrying them over the broken windows and out the back to another Samaritan, and I don't know who it was," Mike said.
"They stopped and they helped us get off the bus and I thank them for helping me get out the bus," Mazyiah said.
Her dad, Marcus Richards, received the terrifying call from the side of the road.
"She was screaming hollering, a lot of yelling and everything. We didn't know what was going on but we knew that they were in an accident and we needed to get down here," he said.
He is now reunited with his daughter at Cooper Hospital in Camden.
"Words can't really explain how happy I am that everyone on there was safe," he said.
According to the parents who've spoken with her, the bus driver said she lost all control of the brakes and had no other choice than to swerve to the side of the road.
The bus company, First Student, has not responded to requests for comment.
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