CARLISLE, Pa. (AP) - Authorities say a tour bus carrying a college's women's lacrosse team to a game went off a freeway in central Pennsylvania and crashed into a tree, killing the driver and one passenger and sending others to hospitals.
Pennsylvania Turnpike officials say 23 people, including Seton Hill lacrosse players, three coaches and the driver, were aboard when the bus crashed at about 9 a.m. It's unclear what caused the crash.
Penn State Hershey Medical Center spokeswoman Danielle Ran says three people were flown by helicopter to the hospital, where one died. She did not give the condition of the other two. Eleven others were also taken to hospitals as a precaution.
The team from Seton Hill, a Catholic school near Pittsburgh, was to play Saturday at Millersville University.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
A tour bus carrying a college's women's lacrosse team to a game went off the Pennsylvania Turnpike on Saturday and crashed into a tree, killing the driver and one passenger and sending others to hospitals, including some with serious injuries, authorities said.
Twenty-three Seton Hill lacrosse players and three coaches were aboard when the bus crashed at about 9 a.m., turnpike spokeswoman Renee Colborn said. It's not clear what caused the crash, but state police were investigating, said Megan Silverstram of the Cumberland County public safety department.
Three of the injured were flown by helicopter to Penn State Hershey Medical Center, where one person died and the condition of the others was unknown, hospital spokeswoman Danielle Ran said. Officials said they didn't know whether the three were players or coaches. They said all other passengers were taken to hospitals as a precaution.
The bus came to a stop upright on the side of the road with part of its left side shorn off, photos from the scene showed, though it's unclear whether that was from the impact or rescue operation.
The bus operator, Mlaker Charter & Tours, of Davidsville, Pa., sent investigators to the scene, company dispatcher Kelly Hay said. The company had no information yet from the investigators and could not comment, she said.
State environmental officials were also sent to the scene because of a diesel fuel spill from the bus.
Seton Hill is a Catholic school of about 2,500 students near Pittsburgh. The team was to play Saturday afternoon at Millersville University, about 50 miles from the crash site in central Pennsylvania.
Last month, another tour bus collided with a car and pickup truck in southern California, killing eight and injuring dozens. The tour company was ordered stop operating because its buses weren't properly maintained or inspected and its drivers weren't properly vetted for qualifications.
A day before that crash, a bus carrying 42 high school students from the Philadelphia area and their chaperones slammed into an overpass in Boston, injuring 35. Authorities said the driver had directed the bus onto a road with a height limit.
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3/16/2013 12:47:20 PM (GMT -4:00)
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