Emotions Soar at Farmingdale High School as Bus Overturns in Orange County: "We're Praying"

A bus carrying students to a band camp crashed in New York, leaving many injured. Community shaken, students praying for friends.

In a devastating incident, a bus carrying numerous students from Farmingdale High School in Long Island veered off a New York highway and plunged down an embankment. The bus was one of six buses from the high school that were en route to a band camp in Greeley, Pennsylvania. The news of the crash has sent shockwaves through the community, leaving both students and faculty members at the school in a state of distress.

Donna Baltch, a teacher at Howitt Middle School, expressed her concern as her niece was on one of the other buses. She shared, "She's okay. It's terrifying. These kids go on a trip to have fun, something they eagerly anticipate all year, and now we are left uncertain about the well-being of the teachers and chaperones. At this moment, all we can do is pray and hope that they are okay."

The students at Farmingdale High School are deeply affected by the accident, with many of them considering the injured individuals as their close friends. One student, Wenel Jen-Babtist, tearfully shared her experience, "I was in the hallway when my friend approached me, showing me a photo of her bloodied face. I couldn't help but burst into tears. I just want to pray for my friends because a lot of them were on that bus."

The sheer magnitude of the crash left some students in disbelief. Sean Jacobs, a student at the high school, recounted, "We saw someone's post on Snapchat showing the overturned bus, and at first, we thought it was a joke. We couldn't fathom that it was a serious incident. It's absolutely terrible."

Emergency services swiftly transported the victims to Westchester County Medical Center and Garnet Health Medical Center in Wallkill. Students who sustained minor injuries and did not require hospitalization were taken to a community building to be reunited with their parents.

Meanwhile, the students on the other buses were directed to stop at a community college for a break and to receive counseling before heading back to Long Island.

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