Terrifying details emerge: Multiple children in serious condition after school bus and truck collision
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A content warning on this one, members. This article does delve into a heart-wrenching school bus accident and contains information that might be upsetting or triggering for some members.
What ended as a normal day for the 45 children aboard a school bus on its way home from Exford Primary School quickly took a traumatic turn on Tuesday afternoon when, at around 3.45 pm, the school bus and a truck collided at the intersection of Exford Road and Murphys Road in Eynesbury, Victoria.
With emergency services rushing to the scene, reports rapidly emerged of numerous injured people, including children of differing ages, who were initially trapped inside the school bus.
The extent of the injuries suffered by young children in Melbourne’s west yesterday afternoon has been revealed, and it’s nothing short of a tragedy.
Currently, there are no reported fatalities in the aftermath of the accident.
Superintendent Michael Cruse said the bus carrying the children was leaving the school when a truck hit the school bus from behind.
‘It travelled west along Exford Road, and while it was attempting to turn right onto Murphy's Road, we believe a truck has collided with the rear of the bus,’ he said.
‘The bus has overturned as it’s turned right.’
Thirteen children, aged 5 to 11, and one adult sustained traumatic or serious injuries when the school bus collided with the truck.
‘So, it’s very fortunate that the incident isn’t more serious, but I must stress it’s still a very serious incident,’ Mr Cruse explained.
This morning (Wednesday, 17 May), Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) CEO Bernadette McDonald said a number of those who were admitted required extensive surgery.
‘The children have suffered multiple traumatic injuries, including partial and complete amputations of arms, multiple crushed limb injuries, severe lacerations to head and body, head injuries, glass shard injuries and three patients are currently receiving spinal support and being monitored,’ she said.
One child was still in the ICU but is expected to be released this week. Two others were discharged overnight.
Meanwhile, the male driver of the school bus suffered minor injuries but is in stable condition. The male driver of the truck is currently assisting the police with their inquiries.
As of reporting, there are still seven children in the hospital.
Ms McDonald also told reporters that the parents of the injured children were left ‘traumatised’. Unfortunately, many were unable to reunite with their children after the incident.
‘We have some very traumatised families and children in our hospital at the moment. [The parents] needed to wait until the early hours of the morning to be reunited with their children as the children were all in theatre very quickly,’ she shared.
She also admitted that she was ‘very surprised’ there were no fatalities.
‘I would never say we’re lucky,’ she added.
‘This is traumatic for every single person involved…And we’re working extremely hard to provide that trauma support and care that they will need not just now but in the coming weeks and months as well.’
According to Ms McDonald, once hospital staff were made aware of the nature of the victims’ injuries, they immediately called in a specialist in plastic surgery and vascular surgery from the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
‘We still have two patients to go into theatre. The theatre teams did operate until the early hours of the morning, and we still have more theatre to go to today. Some of these patients will require returns to theatres and multiple surgeries in the coming days and the coming weeks,’ she explained.
She also thanked the team at Royal Melbourne Hospital for providing surgery and other necessary support quickly.
‘I also want to acknowledge the work of the ambulance paramedics who were on the scene very, very quickly and who transported those seriously ill children to us very, very quickly yesterday afternoon and into the evening,’ she stated.
‘So, our teams, I want to acknowledge, responded beautifully last night in these sorts of situations. Our trauma team takes precedence and coordinates care. Our emergency department, our theatre teams, and our trauma team did beautifully, as well as every staff member in the hospital.’
A spokesperson for the Department of Education said it is extending all its resources to provide support to those involved in the collision.
‘Our thoughts are with the students, their families and the staff who were involved in yesterday’s collision, especially those students who were injured and the families this tragedy has touched,’ they said.
The spokesperson also acknowledged the response from the principal and the staff at Exford Primary School, who attended the scene and provided support for the children involved.
‘During this difficult time, we request that the community respect the privacy of the school community and all those affected within it,’ they proclaimed.
Our hearts go out to all of those affected by this horrific accident – and we urge anyone who witnessed the crash, or has any information, to contact Crime Stoppers.
Here at Seniors Discount Club, our thoughts are with the students, families and staff of Exford Primary School – and the wider community. We hope that all those injured make a speedy recovery.
What ended as a normal day for the 45 children aboard a school bus on its way home from Exford Primary School quickly took a traumatic turn on Tuesday afternoon when, at around 3.45 pm, the school bus and a truck collided at the intersection of Exford Road and Murphys Road in Eynesbury, Victoria.
With emergency services rushing to the scene, reports rapidly emerged of numerous injured people, including children of differing ages, who were initially trapped inside the school bus.
The extent of the injuries suffered by young children in Melbourne’s west yesterday afternoon has been revealed, and it’s nothing short of a tragedy.
Currently, there are no reported fatalities in the aftermath of the accident.
Superintendent Michael Cruse said the bus carrying the children was leaving the school when a truck hit the school bus from behind.
A school bus and truck collided yesterday at Eynesbury. Credit: ChurchArt Online/Pexels
‘It travelled west along Exford Road, and while it was attempting to turn right onto Murphy's Road, we believe a truck has collided with the rear of the bus,’ he said.
‘The bus has overturned as it’s turned right.’
Thirteen children, aged 5 to 11, and one adult sustained traumatic or serious injuries when the school bus collided with the truck.
‘So, it’s very fortunate that the incident isn’t more serious, but I must stress it’s still a very serious incident,’ Mr Cruse explained.
This morning (Wednesday, 17 May), Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) CEO Bernadette McDonald said a number of those who were admitted required extensive surgery.
Emergency services rushed to the scene. Credit: ABC News
‘The children have suffered multiple traumatic injuries, including partial and complete amputations of arms, multiple crushed limb injuries, severe lacerations to head and body, head injuries, glass shard injuries and three patients are currently receiving spinal support and being monitored,’ she said.
One child was still in the ICU but is expected to be released this week. Two others were discharged overnight.
Meanwhile, the male driver of the school bus suffered minor injuries but is in stable condition. The male driver of the truck is currently assisting the police with their inquiries.
As of reporting, there are still seven children in the hospital.
Ms McDonald also told reporters that the parents of the injured children were left ‘traumatised’. Unfortunately, many were unable to reunite with their children after the incident.
‘We have some very traumatised families and children in our hospital at the moment. [The parents] needed to wait until the early hours of the morning to be reunited with their children as the children were all in theatre very quickly,’ she shared.
She also admitted that she was ‘very surprised’ there were no fatalities.
‘I would never say we’re lucky,’ she added.
‘This is traumatic for every single person involved…And we’re working extremely hard to provide that trauma support and care that they will need not just now but in the coming weeks and months as well.’
According to Ms McDonald, once hospital staff were made aware of the nature of the victims’ injuries, they immediately called in a specialist in plastic surgery and vascular surgery from the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
‘We still have two patients to go into theatre. The theatre teams did operate until the early hours of the morning, and we still have more theatre to go to today. Some of these patients will require returns to theatres and multiple surgeries in the coming days and the coming weeks,’ she explained.
She also thanked the team at Royal Melbourne Hospital for providing surgery and other necessary support quickly.
‘I also want to acknowledge the work of the ambulance paramedics who were on the scene very, very quickly and who transported those seriously ill children to us very, very quickly yesterday afternoon and into the evening,’ she stated.
‘So, our teams, I want to acknowledge, responded beautifully last night in these sorts of situations. Our trauma team takes precedence and coordinates care. Our emergency department, our theatre teams, and our trauma team did beautifully, as well as every staff member in the hospital.’
A spokesperson for the Department of Education said it is extending all its resources to provide support to those involved in the collision.
‘Our thoughts are with the students, their families and the staff who were involved in yesterday’s collision, especially those students who were injured and the families this tragedy has touched,’ they said.
The spokesperson also acknowledged the response from the principal and the staff at Exford Primary School, who attended the scene and provided support for the children involved.
‘During this difficult time, we request that the community respect the privacy of the school community and all those affected within it,’ they proclaimed.
Here at Seniors Discount Club, our thoughts are with the students, families and staff of Exford Primary School – and the wider community. We hope that all those injured make a speedy recovery.
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I am thinking of you all.
