Crash involving school bus in Laurel adds to string of fatal collisions
By This story has been updated
LAUREL — A series of fatal crashes continued Monday, when a motorist died and 13 students were injured after her vehicle collided with a school bus, authorities said.
There have been seven fatal traffic collisions in Kent and Sussex counties combined since Jan. 14, leaving nine dead.
Two occurred in Laurel, and there were one each in Rehoboth Beach, Smyrna, Seaford, Harrington and Selbyville. Two crashes involved bicycles.
In the latest incident, Delaware State Police Senior Cpl. Leonard DeMalto said a 21-year-old man from Millsboro was driving a Honda Civic on East Trap Pond Road at approximately 3:46 p.m. when the vehicle failed to stop at a stop sign at the intersection with Hardscrabble Road. The Civic then traveled directly into the path of a Sussex Montessori Public Charter School bus, resulting in the crash.
An attempt by the bus driver to swerve and miss the Civic was unsuccessful, police said.
The bus struck the passenger side of the Civic, which overturned and left the road. The bus overturned, as well, after exiting the road.
The Millsboro man, who police said was not wearing a seat belt, was pronounced dead at the scene. Delaware State Police on Wednesday identified him as Taylor Maurer.
The 34-year-old Bridgeville woman driving the bus was wearing a seat belt. She was taken to a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and later released.
One Sussex Montessori student suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to a hospital, Cpl. DeMalto said. Twelve other students suffered non-life-threatening injuries, were taken to a hospital and released.
Following the crash Monday, the Seaford school posted a message on its Facebook page that read:
“We thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers.
“Our school is aware of the accident and has responded to the hospital. School leaders and staff are present with our children and families.
“The students are all safe, with their families, and are being treated.
“As more information becomes available from the Delaware State Police, we will share with our parent community.
“We will provide additional mental health resources to support our students and families at the school.”
No other vehicles were involved in the collision. The roads were closed for approximately five hours, while the scene was investigated and cleared.
The Troop 7 Collision Reconstruction Unit continues to investigate and asked witnesses to contact Master Cpl. K. Argo at 302-703-3264, send a message via the state police Facebook page or contact Delaware Crime Stoppers at 800-847-3333.
