WAYNE — Nearly two dozen people were injured — eight critically — early today when a fully loaded chartered tour bus en route from Toronto to Brooklyn overturned on a Route 80 exit ramp, slid down a concrete abutment and came to rest on its side, State Police and hospital officials said.
State Police said 23 people were injured in the crash and taken to several area hospitals. Eight critically injured patients were sent to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson, hospital spokeswoman Liz Asani said. She said she had no immediate details on the extent of the injuries. Four other people were taken to St. Joseph’s Wayne Hospital in fair condition, she said.
Six people, including two children, were taken to Chilton Memorial Hospital in Pequannock with minor injuries, spokeswoman Anna Scalora. She all six were expected to be discharged this afternoon , she said .
Two adults were taken to St. Mary’s Hospital in Passaic with minor injuries and released, hospital spokeswoman Vanessa Warner said.
The bus went off the road and down into a ditch, narrowly missing an embankment.
State Police Sgt. Jeff Long said the driver, who suffered a gash to his arm, told authorities he was cut off by another vehicle, which caused the bus to veer off the highway. The driver was not immediately identified.
Several passengers were trapped inside the bus for awhile but rescue crews were able to get them all out.
Long said the soft terrain cushioned the impact of the crash and "protected quite a few of the passengers."
Passengers said the bus had left Toronto at about 8:15 last night and that they were scheduled to attend a Seventh Day Adventist church event in Brooklyn later today.
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A man who answered the phone at the bus company said he had spoken to the driver, whom he did not identify, from the hospital but offered no additional details about the crash.
The man, who did not give his name described the driver as having a clean driving record.
At least 40 rescue vehicles from over a dozen towns responded to the accident, including Paterson Fire Department, Lincoln Park EMS, Montville volunteer first aid squad, Cedar Grove ambulance and rescue squad, West Essex first aid squad, Verona rescue squad, Pompton Lakes-Riverdale first aid squad, and several others. State Police cruisers were also on the scene.
Traffic is moving freely in at least three lanes of Route 80 eastbound, though the exit ramp from Route 80 East to Route 46 remains closed.
State Police in Totowa are leading an investigation into the cause of the accident.
Star-Ledger staff writers David Giambusso, Janelle Griffith, Steve Strunsky and NJ.com reporter Justin Zaremba contributed to this report.
• At least a dozen people injured after bus overturns on Route 80 eastbound in Wayne
• Two people trapped by overturned bus on Route 80 eastbound in Wayne