More than a dozen hurt when buses bump at Algonquin school

More than a dozen middle school students have been taken to area hospitals after a minor crash involving two school buses in the parking lot of Westfield Community School in Algonquin.

Police said one bus rear-ended another at low speed about 8:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.

Allison Strupeck, communications supervisor for Community District 300, said some of the students on the buses reported minor injuries and about 15 students were taken to hospitals for evaluation.

"Some students were injured, but we don't have any reason to believe any of those are serious," Strupeck said. "A majority of the students said they were fine, but a couple of dozen said they were hurt."

Strupeck said there were 62 middle school students on board the buses, which were dropping children off for the day at Westfield, 2100 Sleepy Hollow Road.

Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Chief Kevin Rynders said ambulances from Barrington, Cary, Crystal Lake, East Dundee, Fox River Grove and Huntley assisted in transporting students to Sherman Hospital and Provena St. Joseph Hospital in Elgin, as well as Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington.

Those taken to Sherman Hospital were released, a hospital spokesman said, while information from the remaining hospitals was unavailable.

Gary Chester, the school district safety officer, said the school district was notifying parents of the students involved and would also use the organization's rapid communications system to alert all Westfield parents of the incident.

Algonquin police and Durham School Services, the district's transportation company, is investigating the cause of the crash.