SOUTHBURY — A multi-vehicle crash involving a school bus caused a major emergency response and road closures Wednesday afternoon at the intersection of Route 67 (Southford Road) and Jeremy Swamp Road, according to emergency personnel on scene.
Southbury Fire Department Assistant Chief Robert Barnes said he arrived on scene to multiple ambulances responding to the crash and that a mass casualty incident was declared due to the number of people involved.
“Everybody has been accounted for,” Barnes said at the scene around 4:00 p.m. “Multiple people have been transported to the hospital.” He also confirmed that children who were on the bus – which had Nonnewaug Region 14 signage on it – have been reunited with their parents.
The Southbury Police Department released a statement around 4:45 p.m. saying that several individuals were transported to the hospital with what appear to be non-life-threatening injuries.
The Region 14 school district released correspondence to families saying in part: “Some of the students sustained serious injuries and are currently being treated at St. Mary’s and Waterbury Hospital. Several students and the bus driver were sent to the hospital out of precaution.”
Officials said three vehicles were involved in the crash. One vehicle required extrication by emergency crews.
Responding emergency agencies included units from Southbury, Naugatuck, Beacon Falls, and Oxford.
A witness, Oxford resident Kate MacKinney — who was second in line at the traffic light heading westbound on Route 67 — described the moments leading up to the collision.
“A driver came excessively fast down the hill on Jeremy Swamp,” MacKinney told The Record. “As I came up to the light, I saw that [the driver] wasn’t going to stop. The driver was going so fast. The light had turned green, and I was moving. I saw the driver hit the bus from the back.”
MacKinney said she observed a person exit through a bus window during the impact.
As a result of the collision, two students were ejected from the bus, according to an updated statement from the Southbury Police Department.
The traffic light at the intersection had been installed following the road’s repair and restoration due to the August 2024 floods.
Southbury’s Department of Public Works crews were observed plowing Pepper Tree Lane to improve emergency vehicle access to the area.
Officials said Route 67 is currently blocked at least up to Community House Road, and motorists should expect delays and seek alternate routes. (By 8:30 p.m, roads have now cleared)
7:50 p.m. UPDATE: The Southbury Police Department announced that they have charged a 65-year-old Southbury resident with Driving Under the Influence and Failure to Obey a Traffic Control Signal. He was taken into custody at the scene and later released on a $25,000 bond.
The incident remains under investigation.
The Southbury Record 
