YORK TWP. — Five Buckeye Junior High School students were taken to Medina Hospital for precautionary reasons Monday afternoon after a sport utility vehicle slammed into the front of their school bus.

Buckeye Superintendent Brian Williams, who was at the scene of the accident, said all of the injuries were minor, and the other 15 or so students on the bus were released to their parents at the scene or taken home by another bus.

A trooper from the Medina post of the Ohio Highway Patrol investigates the scene of an accident involving a sport utility vehicle and a school bus Monday afternoon in York Township. Five Buckeye Junior High School students on the bus reportedly sustained minor injuries in the crash. (GAZETTE PHOTO BY JENNIFER PIGNOLET)

Ohio Highway Patrol Trooper Jeff Carpenter said a Pontiac Aztek was northbound on Abbeyville Road just after 2:30 p.m. and attempted to go around a vehicle waiting to turn left onto Spieth Road. The Aztek went off the road, traveled back on and slid into the front end of the school bus, which was westbound on Spieth and stopped at the intersection.

Witnesses told law enforcement that the Aztek was traveling at a high rate of speed and passing vehicles on the left and right on Abbeyville, the trooper said.

Carpenter said charges are pending against the driver of the Aztek, Matthew Perkins, 23, of Medina.

Perkins was taken to Medina Hospital and then taken by helicopter to MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland.

A spokeswoman at Metro said there was no medical status available for Perkins as of this morning.

A passenger in the Aztek, Lawrence Henderson, 36, of Medina, also was taken to Medina Hospital.

The medical status of Henderson and students were not available Monday night.

Carpenter said the driver of the school bus, Karen Galdun, of Liverpool Township, refused treatment at the scene.

Williams said Galdun was able to get the students off the school bus and lead them away from the accident.

“We’re extremely happy with how the bus driver handled the situation,” Williams said.

In addition to the patrol and representatives from Buckeye, units responded from Earhart-York Township, Valley City, Lafayette Township, Medina Life Support Team and the Medina County Sheriff’s Office.

Contact Jennifer Pignolet at (330) 721-4063 or jpignolet@medina-gazette.com.

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