Parents say bus accident
was worse than reported
By sue m. morgan
Staff Writer

The parents of three of the passengers involved in a school bus accident Jan. 10 on Pension Road in Old Bridge are saying that contrary to published reports their children sustained major injuries and psychological trauma resulting from the accident.

Larry and Michelle Roth, and Randee Pomerantz, all of Manalapan, have said the police reports initially provided to Greater Media Newspapers downplayed the extent of their children’s injuries.

The one-vehicle accident occurred on Pension Road in Old Bridge between Raceway Park and Union Hill Road in Manalapan as the students were en route to the Rutgers Preparatory School in Franklin Township.

Old Bridge police reported that the driver of the mini-bus, June Denes, 40, of the Iselin section of Woodbridge, was driving 30 mph in the 25 mph zone. Denes attempted to navigate a left bend in the road and the bus began to fishtail on an ice patch, according to the report.

The bus traveled into the eastbound lane and Denes tried to correct it. Denes reportedly tapped the brakes and the bus fishtailed in the opposite direction, causing it to skid. The bus then slid about 15 feet across the grass at the edge of Pension Road westbound. The driver’s side of the bus hit a drainage ditch and the bus rolled over, coming to rest on its passenger side on Raceway Park property, the report said.

An Old Bridge police spokesman said the impact of the crash resulted in minor injuries to the driver and its 12 passengers, who ranged in age from 8-16.

Larry Roth, whose daughters, Jenna, 15, and Erin, 11, were on the bus, said his daughters told him, " ‘Everyone was sprawled on top of each other.’ "

Randee Pomerantz, who said her daughter, Morgan, 14, sustained a concussion, said the scene was more chaotic than originally reported. Pomerantz said she received a cell phone call from Morgan asking her to come to the scene right after the accident occurred.

"She said, ‘We were in a terrible accident and the bus flipped over and the kids are hurt,’ " Pomerantz said, adding that she and her husband, Allen, rushed to the scene and arrived before the paramedics. "It was a scene of devastation. The kids were all over the place. There were book bags all over the place."

The section of Pension Road where the bus skidded was very icy, Pomerantz said. When she and her husband arrived at the scene, Pomerantz said, she tried to get out of her car to help the bus passengers, but the icy conditions almost caused her to slip on the road herself.

Cheryl Beck, an employee of Raceway Park, said she heard the police sirens as officers approached the accident scene. She went outside and like Pomerantz, she noted the road’s icy conditions.

"While we were out there trying to take care of the kids, the salt trucks came through," Beck said, adding that she does not believe Old Bridge salts Pension Road beyond the residential area.

However, Rocky Donatelli, Old Bridge’s public works director, said school bus routes like those on Pension Road are usually sanded first.

"Every time we get icy weather, we have our sander go out and do the bus routes first," Donatelli said. "We want the kids on the buses and even the parents driving their kids to school to be safe. We do the best we can."

Regarding the extent of the children’s injuries, Roth said Jenna was diagnosed with severe whiplash after being taken to CentraState Medical Center, Freehold Township. He said she sustained multiple bruises on her back and neck.

Roth said his younger daughter, Erin, sustained multiple bruises, especially on her back. He said one of her arms was in a splint and the other was in a sling.

Both of his daughters have been having nightmares since the accident, he said.

As of Jan. 29, both daughters had returned to school, Roth said. He said Jenna was still experiencing back and neck pain and Erin was still having trouble writing. Both girls were still experiencing headaches, he said.

Neither student had returned to riding on the bus, Roth said, and their parents were taking them to school.

Morgan was out of school for a week following the accident, Pomerantz said.

Rutgers Preparatory School Headmaster Steven Loy verified last week that all students involved in the accident had since returned to school.

The Old Bridge police report indicated that Jenna and Erin Roth both sustained head and neck injuries, while Morgan Pomerantz sustained injuries to her shoulder and arms. The report indicated that all of the passengers had "complaints of pain."