School bus involved in chain-reaction crash in Hyde Park – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News

BOSTON (WHDH) – Multiple people were hurt and multiple vehicles were damaged Thursday when a school bus crashed into a series of cars in front of the Henry Grew School in Hyde Park.

According to Boston police, only the driver was onboard the school bus when it allegedly struck multiple vehicles as well as a pedestrian by 40 Gordon Ave around 8:15 a.m.

7NEWS learned the pedestrian was a parent who had been dropping her child off at the school when the crash occurred. 

The parent’s mother-in-law, Michelle Legette, later said it appeared a malfunction on the bus led to the crash, adding that the driver had tried to lessen the impact before the pileup.

Legette described the moment of impact in an interview, saying her daughter had just dropped her granddaughter off and was coming back to her car when she was hit.

“[The driver] couldn’t stop the bus, so he had no other choice but to turn the bus off to stop the bus,” she said. “But by the time he did that, he had a mess out here and the cars were all piled up and damaged.”

Surveillance video from the scene showed the bus approach and hit a line of six cars, with one vehicle turning out of the line at the last second as the pile-up started.

Images of the aftermath showed several damaged vehicles, including an SUV that ended up partially on top of a sedan.

Speaking with 7NEWS, a woman who was in the sedan with her grandson described the feeling of being pushed forward as the pileup worsened.

“I thought it wasn’t going to end because I had my brakes on – nothing was stopping us from going,” said Mary McCarthy Matthews.

A series of cars had visible damage to their front- and rear-ends after this crash. All were towed away over the course of the morning, including the school bus.

While crews cleaned up in Hyde Park, Michelle Legette’s daughter-in-law and one other person were taken to the hospital. Both were expected to be OK as of Thursday night. 

McCarthy Matthews said she and her grandson also went to get checked out after the crash.

A 7NEWS source said that upon investigation, it appeared a plastic piece that was part of the bus’s accelerator broke and caused the vehicle to surge forward before the driver could stop it. The bus driver was uninjured. Though they went home for the day, they are expected to be back behind the wheel on Friday.

“I thought it was an earthquake or I thought it was a plane that fell. I thought maybe the house was on fire,” said area resident Naomi Ramirez, describing the moment she heard the crash. “It was just so loud.” 

Ramirez took video of the crash as she was about to take her son across the street. Later speaking with reporters, she was shaken by what she first heard and then saw. 

“It just happened all at once,” she said.

In a letter to parents, School Principal Christina Michel stated that a Boston Public Schools crisis team was brought on-site to support students and staff who might have witnessed the accident.

“We understand that this incident may be concerning to you, and we want to assure you that we are taking all necessary steps to ensure the safety of our students,” Michel said.

Parents who have any concerns are asked to contact the Henry Grew School at 617-635-8715.

McCarthy Mathews, in the meantime, said she and her grandson were glad this situation wasn’t worse. 

“We’re a little banged up and nervous,” she said. “And we’ll probably be sore for a few days. But that’s about it, thank God.”

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