On May 17, 2018, 5th graders at East Brook Middle School in Paramus were on their way to a field trip to Waterloo Village.  There were three buses that were haling students, teachers, and parent chaperons. Bus #2 haling 45 people (38 students & 7 adults) apparently missed its exit and continued to drive on I-80. Around 10:20 a.m. in Mount Olive, the bus took an unexpected turn and collided with a red dump truck causing the bus to flip over into the median strip. News said the bus driver tried to make an illegal u hand turn into the other lane. State troopers, Paramus D.A.R.E officers, fire trucks, and ambulances raced to the scene.

21 students and adults were taken to Morristown Medical Center, 10 went to Hackettstown medical Center, and two students went to St. Joseph University Medical Center.  Some in critical condition went right into surgery, others were checked in and bandaged up. Teacher, Jennifer Williamson, and a student, Miranda Vargas, both died from impact.  

Paramus Mayor, Richard LaBarbiera, went to the press to address the situation to inform the parents and students what had happened. He told the town that school will be open tomorrow with extra guidance and grief counselors to help the students and staff. Many students took it upon themselves and brought flowers to pay their respects to those who died or were injured.The town also held a memorial service on Sunday night at Our Lady of the Visitation Church. Paramus board officials have cancelled all school trips for the rest of the year.

With a tragedy like this comes a lot of press, which means multiple people will hear about it. Many GoFundMe pages were set up to help the families cover some of the medical bills and thousands of dollars were raised right away. Also, many famous sport teams located in the New Jersey area have reached out to show support to the students and family after this tragic event.

With summer around the corner, we hope a speedy recovery to all victims and families of the crash.