CHESTERFIELD, N.J., Feb. 16 (UPI) -- The 11-year-old daughter of a New Jersey state trooper was killed Thursday morning when a school bus collided with a dump truck.
The crash injured 17 students of the 25 on the bus, The Times of Trenton reported. Police said three suffered critical, potentially life-threatening injuries.
The crash occurred at about 8:20 a.m. in Chesterfield, N.J., a rural suburb about 10 miles southeast of Trenton, WABC-TV reported. Several children on the bus were taken by helicopter to hospitals.
The dead girl was identified only as a sixth-grade student at Chesterfield Elementary School and the daughter of a trooper.
A house near the crash scene became a triage center and a shelter for uninjured children and those with minor injuries.
Ellen McHenry, Chesterfield schools superintendent, said grief counselors would be at the elementary school. She said the school, scheduled to be closed for the Presidents' Day weekend, would be open during the morning for families seeking assistance, the Times said.
Police said the bus hit the dump truck and then struck a light pole. The truck left the road, ending up in a field.
State and local police were investigating the crash.
