A Nissan Qashqai, whose driver allegedly ran a stop sign, struck a school bus head-on in Mazara del Vallo. The bus overturned, resulting in two children to hospital in Palermo by helicopter.
Nineteen people, including fourteen children, were injured on Friday when a school bus and a private car collided head-on in Mazara del Vallo, near Trapani in western Sicily, with the bus overturning in the impact.
The school bus, operated by the municipality, was carrying students from the Santa Gemma-Boscarino-Pirandello school and was headed towards Borgata Costiera when it was struck by a Nissan Qashqai travelling in the opposite direction. On board the bus, alongside the pupils, were two teachers, two municipal assistants, and the driver.
According to initial findings by local police, the Qashqai driver appears to have failed to obey a clearly marked stop sign and drove into the path of the bus, causing it to overturn. The 51-year-old driver was found to be without a driving licence and had no insurance coverage for the vehicle. His pregnant wife and five children were travelling with him. He has been hospitalised.
All nineteen injured were treated at Mazara del Vallo hospital. Two students were subsequently transferred by 118 emergency helicopter to the Palermo Children’s Hospital. One child had a broken wrist, the other abdominal trauma. None of those involved are reported to be in serious condition.
The school bus driver, municipal employee Giuseppe Di Stefano, was taken to hospital in a state of shock. Mazara del Vallo Mayor Salvatore Quinci and social workers attended him at the hospital.
The accident is under investigation by local police.
