SUV Crosses Center Line and Hits Bonny Eagle School Bus on Route 22 in Westbrook, Closing Road While Police Investigate Crash
WESTBROOK, ME — An SUV crashed into a Bonny Eagle school bus on County Road, also known as Route 22, in Westbrook on Friday morning, leaving the bus heavily damaged and forcing part of the road to close.
Westbrook police said the collision happened around 9:30 a.m. after the SUV crossed the center line and struck the bus. The impact pushed the SUV off the road and into a ditch.
No one was seriously injured, according to police.
Police say the SUV crossed the center line before impact
The Westbrook Police Department said the SUV drifted across the center line on County Road and into the path of the school bus. The crash happened during the morning commute period on a road that carries steady local traffic.
A photographer with Maine’s Total Coverage captured video of the scene near Haven’s Candies, showing the school bus with significant damage. The same video showed the SUV off the roadway after the collision.
Police have not said what caused the SUV to cross into the opposite lane. The circumstances remain under investigation.
About 12 children and adult chaperones were on the bus
Police said the school bus was carrying about 12 children along with some adult chaperones when the crash happened. Authorities did not report any serious injuries among the passengers or the driver.
That detail helped calm immediate concerns after the collision, especially given the size of the bus and the number of young passengers involved. Even so, the bus sustained enough damage to be described as serious in video from the scene.
No additional medical information was released Friday by police.
Route 22 stayed closed while crews cleared the scene
Part of County Road remained closed after the crash while both vehicles were removed from the area. Traffic disruption continued as crews worked to clear the damaged bus and the SUV from the roadway and ditch.
The photographer who documented the scene also recorded the SUV being pulled from the ditch by a tow truck. The closure affected the stretch of road where the crash occurred near the Westbrook business area.
Police did not give an estimate for when the roadway would fully reopen.
Bonny Eagle bus damage was visible at the scene
Images from the crash site showed the school bus with clear front-end damage after the impact. The force of the collision was enough to send the SUV off the pavement and leave it needing a tow.
Because the crash involved a school bus, the scene drew immediate attention from drivers and nearby businesses. The damage to the bus suggested a significant hit even though the injuries were not serious.
Authorities did not say whether the bus was traveling to or from school at the time.
Westbrook police and state troopers are reconstructing the crash
The Westbrook Police Department’s reconstruction team is leading the investigation, with help from Maine State Police. Investigators will review how the SUV crossed the center line and what factors led to the collision.
At this stage, police have not announced any charges or identified the driver of the SUV. They also have not said whether weather, speed, distraction, or another cause may have played a role.
The case remains active as investigators piece together the sequence of events on Route 22.
