Girls ejected from school bus expected to be OK

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (WSVN) -- Two girls ejected from a bus on their way home from school are expected to be OK.

A driver crashed into a church van carrying children, Wednesday afternoon.

According to police, the driver of a vehicle traveling down 199th Street in Miami Gardens may have suffered a heart attack and ran a red light. This caused him to crash into the white van full of children between the ages of 11 and 13 who were on their way home from Norland Middle School.

The accident occurred in the area of 199th Street and Northwest 12th Avenue. The intersection was closed as police conducted their investigation.

The impact of the crash ejected two young girls from the van. "All of a sudden a gray car speeded right into the middle of the street and hit the van, and it twisted around and a girl ejected fro out of the van over there," said a woman who witnessed the event.

Two step-sisters, both 12-years-old were the only two who were ejected from the van. They were transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital via helicopter.

Other drivers who saw the accident stopped to help the victims. "I looked to my left and the girl was lying on the ground there, so I got out of my car and came over to try to assist her," said John Jackson. "I didn't touch her or anything, but I just tried to see how she was doing. She wasn't saying anything. She was trying to move and I told her not to move," he continued.

Officials said the driver who crashed into the van had been released from the hospital a few days ago. The driver of the van is being questioned by police to get his account of the accident.

The driver of the van carrying the children left the scene shaken up. "I feel bad," said Cleveland Roberts Sr. "That's all I want to say cause I'm woozy right now and I'm going to get some attention."

Tatiana Carter is bleeding from her brain. Her father said she is doing OK. "She's alert," Ben Carter, "She knows that we're here. She can't speak right now because she has a tube in her mouth."

Her step-sister Genesis wasn't as seriously hurt. For the family, it is still difficult to see them in the hospital. The family is grateful the girls are expected to recover and won't have any permanent, physical injuries from the ride home from school they will never forget.

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