FARMINGDALE, Long Island (WABC) — Emotions were high at Farmingdale High School on Long Island after a bus carrying dozens of students and several adults went off a New York highway and down an embankment Thursday.
The bus that crashed was one of six from the high school that were heading to a band camp in Greeley, Pennsylvania.
Officials say two adults, 43-year-old Gina Pellettiere and 77-year-old Beatrice Ferarri, were killed, and five students were also critically injured. According to the Farmingdale High School’s website, Pellettiere was the school’s band director.
The news of the crash has shaken the community, as well as students and faculty members at the school.
Donna Baltch, a teacher at Howitt Middle School, says her niece was on one of the other buses.
“She’s okay. It’s terrifying,” she said. “These kids go on a trip to have fun, this is something that they look forward to all year, and these poor teachers, these chaperones, I’m hearing mixed things, we don’t know if they’re okay. Right now, we are just praying and hoping that they’re okay.”
Students at the high school say they are “praying” for the injured, many of whom are their friends.
“I was in the hallway when my friend came up to me, showed me a photo, her face was all bloodied and stuff. I started crying,” student Wenel Jen-Babtist said. “I wanted to pray for my friends because I have a lot of friends on the bus.”
The crash was so shocking that some students told Eyewitness News that they thought it was a joke.
“We saw somebody posting on Snapchat, the bus flipped over, we thought it was a joke at first,” student Sean Jacobs said. “We didn’t even know it was serious. It’s horrible.”
Victims were transported to six area hospitals, including Westchester County Medical Center and Garnet Health Medical Center in Wallkill.
The injured students who did not require hospitalized were being taken to a community building for reunification with parents.
Students on the other buses were to stop off at a community college for a break and meet with counselors before heading back to Long Island.
Preliminary information indicates a failure of a front tire may have been a contributing factor in the accident.
The NTSB, in coordination with the New York State Police, is sending a team to conduct a safety investigation into the crash.
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