School bus overturns in NJ crash

More than 30 people were injured, two critically, in an accident in Old Bridge, New Jersey involving a school bus, a commuter bus and several cars Thursday morning.

Only one lane of northbound US 9 was open in the area.

An Academy bus heading north on Route 9 hit a mini-sized school bus from behind before striking a tree near Route 516 during the 8 a.m. hour, said police. The school bus ended up on its side. The impact was so violent that the tree ended up going through the roof of the Academy bus.

More than 30 people were aboard the commuter bus. News 12 reported it was headed from Toms River to Wall St. in Manhattan.

Academy bus driver Daniel Jean-Pierre, 42, and a 31-year-old woman were being treated in the trauma unit at Robert Wood Johnson hospital. Jeanne-Pierre's legs were pinned in the crash. The other victims were in stable condition at Raritan Bay Medical Center, reported the Associated Press.

The mini-sized school bus ended up on its side after slamming into a generator.  There were no children on board the bus at the time of the crash. The driver suffered a minor injury, according to an Old Bridge school official.  An aide on the bus also suffered lacerations. The crash into the generator cut off power to the neighborhood including a local school, said Andrew Gonzales.

A N.J. State Police Med-Evac helicopter was called to the scene to transport one person to a hospital.  Several passengers were placed on stretchers while others walked away from the scene with assistance from emergency personnel.

Power lines that were near the tree involved in the crash were smoking after the incident. 

A spokesman for Academy Bus tells the AP that Jean-Pierre had a clean record since he began working as a driver for the company last May.