Empty School Bus Involved in Crash on Icy Road

A Chevy wagon driven by a Warren woman reportedly lost control on an icy patch along Lyons Road and slid into an empty school bus Tuesday morning at about 9:30 a.m., township police said. The circumstances of the accident remain under investigation, police said.

The school was not involved with the mishap involving the bus, which is owned by the Somerset County Educational Services Commission, police and a school employee said Tuesday afternoon.

Both vehicles were damaged and needed to be towed from the scene on Lyons Road just west of Wharton Way, Det./Lt. Ted Reese said. The accident on eastbound Lyons Road was logged at 9:26 a.m., he said.

Reese said there were no major injuries reported. However, he said the driver of the wagon, Laura Garber-Mandell, 51, complained of leg pain and was transported to Overlook Hospital in Summit. 

The bus driver, Alejandro Ripalda, of Bridgewater, complained of back pain and was transported to Morristown Memorial Hospital, Reese said.

Patrol Officer Christopher Baxter is continuing an investigation into the circumstances of the accident, he said. Reese said he did not immediately know what emergency responder had transported the drivers to the two hospitals.

Township schools had a due to inclement weather. Ridge High School and the William Annin Middle School opened at 10 a.m., a little more than two hours after their usual start time. The township's four elementary schools did not open until 11 a.m., according to the school website.