Mass. teen charged after allegedly driving head-on into school bus

Local News

An 18-year-old admitted to using a cellphone while driving, which led them to drift into oncoming traffic and hit a school bus in Lunenburg.

Criminal charges were filed Tuesday against an 18-year-old Massachusetts driver who collided with a school bus in Lunenburg, police said.

The driver, who has not been identified, admitted to being on a cellphone, which caused them to drift into the other lane and led to a head-on collision with the school bus, which was carrying about 20 riders, according to officials.

The Lunenburg Police Department and Lunenburg Fire Rescue responded to the scene on the 1300 block of Lancaster Avenue Tuesday morning. No one was injured and a second bus was coordinated to transport students to school.

Police said speed did not appear to be a factor in the crash and that the driver’s operation “was determined to be negligent.” 

The department took the opportunity to remind residents to avoid texting and driving.

“There is never a text that’s worth your life or anyone else’s,” police said, pointing residents toward guidance from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.”