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“I am extremely grateful for the way our students looked out for one another today and for the swift response from our first responders and staff,” the school superintendent said.
A school bus carrying 26 students crashed into a tree Monday morning in Mashpee after the driver suffered a “life-threatening medical emergency,” police said.
Around 8:40 a.m., Mashpee police responded to a report of a motor vehicle crash on Old Barnstable Road near Leather Leaf Lane, according to a statement from Chief of Police Scott Carline.
When officers arrived, they found the bus — containing 26 students between the ages of 6 and 12 — off the eastbound side of the road, where it had struck the tree, Carline said.
Preliminary findings indicated the driver may have experienced a medical emergency, causing her to lose control of the bus before the crash, according to Carline.
No students suffered serious injuries, police said. One student was later taken to Falmouth Hospital for evaluation.
The driver was transported to Cape Cod Hospital with “what appeared to be a life-threatening medical emergency,” Carline said.
In a letter to the school community, Mashpee Public Schools Superintendent Michele Conners highlighted the students’ response in the moments after the crash.
She said several students acted quickly, with one calling 911 while others contacted their parents. Some also helped comfort their peers during a “very scary moment,” Conners said.
“I am extremely grateful for the way our students looked out for one another today and for the swift response from our first responders and staff,” she said. “In moments like these, the strength of the Mashpee community and the care people have for one another are very clear.”
Connors also expressed concern for the driver, describing her as a “beloved member” of the school community.
“Many families know her well,” she said. “We continue to keep her and her family in our thoughts. We are hoping for her continued recovery.”
Police did not disclose the bus driver’s current condition as of Tuesday.
The crash remains under investigation by the Mashpee Police Department, the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office, and the Cape Cod Regional Law Enforcement Council Crash Reconstruction Unit, Carline said.
Connors said counselors and support staff will be available to help students process the incident.
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