School Bus Carrying Blind Students Smashes into Pharmacy

A school bus carrying students from the Maryland School for the Blind veered out of control Tuesday afternoon and slammed into the side of a Baltimore-area pharmacy, leaving witnesses stunned and sending bystanders rushing toward the wreck.

The frightening crash happened around 2:40 p.m. in Parkville, Maryland, authorities said. Three students and two adults were on board the bus when it left the roadway and crashed into the building.

The impact was powerful enough to shake nearby businesses, including Enchanted Cakes and Treats, where owner Carrie Shelley said the collision knocked merchandise off the walls and sent people pouring outside to see what had happened.

“Pretty much everybody from all of the buildings came running out,” Shelley told The Baltimore Sun.

What they found was a terrifying scene: a school bus lodged against the pharmacy as emergency crews raced to the area. According to Shelley, bystanders quickly ran to the bus and managed to open its door before a “frantic” student came tumbling out.

Despite the alarming crash, officials said the injuries were thankfully minor. The bus driver, one student, and another man at the scene were hurt, but none of the injuries were believed to be life-threatening.

Among those who rushed to the crash site was Carrie Crawford, a teacher at the Maryland School for the Blind who lives nearby. She said she was “scared to death” when she learned one of her students had been on the bus — a nonverbal girl who uses a wheelchair.

But when Crawford arrived, she saw the girl safely with her father.

Even more reassuring, Crawford said, the student was “smiling.”

Baltimore County Fire Bureau Chief Travis Francis said officials were grateful the crash was not worse.

“We’re just happy that no more folks are injured,” Francis said.

The crash caused a major emergency response in the neighborhood, with police, firefighters, and medical crews swarming the scene as residents and business owners tried to process what had just unfolded.

“The injuries are minor, and we want to get some calmness back to the neighborhood soon,” Francis said.

Authorities are still investigating what caused the bus to leave the road and crash into the pharmacy.