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Two School Buses Carrying Special-Needs Students Crash in Brooklyn

By  Alissa Ambrose and Alan Neuhauser | May 31, 2012 9:28am 

Fifteen people were taken to the hospital following the incidents in Gravesend and Crown Heights on Thurs., May 31, 2012.
Fifteen people were taken to the hospital following the incidents in Gravesend and Crown Heights on Thurs., May 31, 2012.
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BMR Breaking News

BROOKLYN — Fifteen people were taken to the hospital after school buses carrying special-needs students crashed in separate incidents that occurred within minutes of each other in Brooklyn Thursday.

In the first collision, about 8:05 a.m., a bus driving in the right-hand lane collided with a silver 2011 Subaru WRX sedan at the intersection of Shore Parkway and West Second Street in Gravesend, the FDNY and witnesses said.

Seven people on board the bus were taken to Kings County Hospital for examination, though an FDNY spokesman said the transports were precautionary. Nine others were released at the scene, the spokesman said.

Minutes later, a school bus transporting 14 disabled children collided with a fire hydrant at Bergen Street and New York Avenue in Crown Heights, fire officials said.

A school bus and SUV collided in Gravesend on Thurs., May 31, 2012.
A school bus and SUV collided in Gravesend on Thurs., May 31, 2012.
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DNAinfo/Alissa Ambrose

Eight people on board were taken to Coney Island Hospital for treatment, though those transports were also precautionary, the FDNY said.

The driver in the Gravesend crash said he didn't know what caused the collision. 

"The next thing I noticed, it started to get a little close, and my airbag goes off," said the Subaru's driver, a 24-year-old man who declined to give his name. "I'm not even really sure what happened."

He added that he was on his way to work when the crash occurred.

The bus sustained minor damage, while the Subaru had dents and scratches on its passenger side.

"I'm just glad none of the kids are injured," the SUV driver said. "Something like that is out of their control. It's just dangerous."

Tow truck driver Joe Hernandez, 29, said that he and his company, Ridge Towing of Brooklyn, regularly respond to collisions at the intersection.

"Usually there is always someone trying to run into somebody right here," he said. "They should put in a light.

The Subaru was driven by a 24-year-old man on his way to work.
The Subaru was driven by a 24-year-old man on his way to work.
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DNAinfo/Alissa Ambrose