The truck driver who killed eight and injured 11 on a lower Manhattan bike path also crashed into a school bus. The driver critically injured a special education student and the bus monitor.
According to information from a source with knowledge of the situation, the truck driver smashed into the school bus after striking the bicyclists. One student was in critical but no longer life-threatening condition.
Meanwhile, the bus attendant was at last report in serious condition and headed into surgery with a lacerated liver.
A second student was last known to be in stable condition while the driver was released from the hospital on Tuesday.
According to local authorities, the suspect brandished a pellet and paintball gun after hitting the school bus and exiting the rented Home Depot truck he was driving. Responding police shot the suspect in the abdomen and took him into custody. A note found at the scene reportedly claimed the driver acted in support of ISIS.
Charlie Hood, executive director for the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, said an official with the Transportation Security Administration was already scheduled to speak at to student transporters in Columbus, Ohio next week during industry national conferences. His talk at NASDPTS on Nov. 6 will take on added relevance.
While it remains unclear if the terror suspect purposely or accidentally struck the school bus, security expert Mike Dorn told STN that the incident provides student transporters and school administrators with additional concerns of a motorist targeting students.
“We often address this concern in our school security assessments and have been advising our clients to consider bollards or other barriers to prevent someone from accidentally or intentionally plowing through a group of kids waiting to board,” said Dorn, executive director of security firm Safe Havens, International.
Stay tuned to School Transportation News for the latest developments and commentary.
