Quick thinking Wednesday afternoon helped prevent what could have been a tragic accident.
At 3:04 p.m., shortly after C.C. Ring Elementary School had let out for the day, Barbara Blood was driving south on Dearing Avenue. According to police, as she attempted to slow down while going down the hill, her brakes had apparently failed. With three young children in the back seat of the 2000 Dodge Caravan, ages 3, 6, and 9, Blood stopped the vehicle by running into a tree. The airbags deployed and all of the passengers in the vehicle were injured, although a potentially much worse accident was avoided.
At the time that Blood was traveling south on Dearing Avenue, Bemus Point School Bus 7 was waiting at the bottom of the hill to turn left onto Dearing Avenue from Falconer Street. There were also many children in the area at the time of the crash.
Article Photos
Barbara Blood, the driver of the minivan pictured, crashed into a tree to avoid striking a school bus at the bottom of Dearing Avenue when her brakes apparently failed.
Submitted photos
Everyone that was involved in the crash was taken by ambulance to the hospital. The parents of the three children arrived on scene a short time after the accident, riding to the hospital with them, while Blood was transported in a second ambulance.
The investigation into the cause of the accident is ongoing at this time.