In western Pennsylvania, some 20 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, a bus transporting a middle school football team collapsed Saturday morning, injuring almost two dozen passengers.
Around 10 a.m., local law enforcement and emergency medical personnel were dispatched to the Beaver County scene, where they promptly declared the collision to be a mass casualty occurrence, as reported by the Aliquippa Fire Department.
Following the collision on Shaffer Road in Economy Borough, 21 of the 28 passengers—including the driver, two coaches, and 25 kids from Aliquippa Jr. High School—were sent to nearby hospitals or trauma centers.
According to local NBC station WPXI, 20 pupils were taken to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, while one injured student was life-flighted to Allegheny General.
As of Saturday afternoon, neither the cause of the collision nor the severity of the injuries had been made public.
At a press conference, Economy Police Chief Michael O. Brien stated that the team had been traveling to Pine-Richland for a game.
Mayor Dwan Walker urged everyone to pray for our unborn children. To ensure their well-being, we only need to pray.
Within about an hour of the collision, all of the players had left the site and were being assessed by medical staff, according to a statement posted on the football team’s Facebook page.
As stated in the statement, “Please take a moment to send a thought or prayer for each player or coach that was traveling this morning.”
