Dozens hurt in chain-reaction bus crash

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Three school buses carrying elementary and middle school pupils to a science museum this morning were involved in a chain-reaction crash, injuring dozens of pupils and adults, school and police officials said.
Forty-two people were taken to three hospitals, said state police Trooper Robin Mungo. There were no reports of serious injuries, school officials said.
It was not immediately clear what caused the chain-reaction crash on Interstate 279, known locally as the Parkway West, but it was raining heavily at the time.
Allegheny General Hospital was treating 16 victims, all children, who appeared to have only minor injuries, said hospital spokeswoman Heather Holtschlag.
Mercy Hospital was treating 15 children and seven adults, none believed to be seriously injured, spokeswoman Linda Ross said. The injuries appeared to be mostly minor abrasions, she said.
St. Clair Hospital officials confirmed they were treating crash victims, but would not immediately say how many or how badly they were hurt.
An official with the Midland Borough School District in Beaver County said all the pupils were in grades four to eight and attended the Midland Elementary Middle School about 25 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. They were headed to the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh when the crash happened shortly after 9 a.m.
The adults on the buses included staff members and chaperones.