6 people, including 3 children, hospitalized after accident in Elmwood Place

ELMWOOD PLACE, Ohio — Six people, including three children and the driver of a school bus, were taken to local hospitals after two vehicles collided in Elmwood Place, subsequently hitting the school bus, the village fire chief said.

There were no children on board the school bus. The injured children were in one of the other vehicles involved in the crash, officials at the scene said.

Officials said the driver of a silver Ford SUV was traveling at an “excessive rate of speed” on Township Avenue before colliding with another vehicle attempting to make a right turn onto Sycamore.

After the accident, the silver SUV drove in front of a school bus, which then rammed the van, officials said.

Elmwood Place officials said three children, ages two to six, in the back seat of the silver van were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The driver of the school bus as well as the driver and passenger of the silver SUV were also taken to hospital with injuries.

According to officials, the driver of the van was seriously injured and all other injuries were not life-threatening.

“No one was wearing a seat belt and the children were not in car seats in the SUV,” said Police Chief Randall Newsom of the Elmwood Place Police Department.

Authorities stressed the importance of ensuring that children and adults always wear seat belts properly, as accidents like this show that you never know what can happen.

“Had it been a regular car (and not a bus), this car accident would have been much worse. There probably would have been a fatality,” Newsom said.

Newsom added that because of the bus's size, the gray SUV was able to partially drive under the bus and the bus was able to absorb most of the impact.

Authorities said they wanted to remind the public of the importance of keeping children in appropriate car seats.

The Comprehensive Children's Injury Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital provides funding to help families who cannot afford a car seat. The website also provides a list of local fire departments that can professionally install your child's car seat for free.