NORTH READING, MASS. (WHDH) - Seven people, including six students, were taken to the hospital after a special needs van rolled over in North Reading on Tuesday morning.
Emergency crews responding to a report of a crash at the intersection of Park and Central streets about 10:30 a.m. found a white van resting on its roof in a cement culvert in several inches of water.
The van driver and six students were taken to Lahey Medical Center in Burlington with minor injuries.
7’s Steve Cooper reports the van rolled over a guardrail on Route 62 and landed in a tunnel that carries water to the Ipswich River.
Many of the victims were able to climb out of the wrecked van before emergency officials arrived at the scene.
Video from the scene showed a ladder leading down to the overturned van. The van has since been pulled from the culvert and towed from the scene.
“This was a serious crash but fortunately not a tragic one,” North Reading Police Chief Michael Murphy said. “Two residents who saw the crash wasted no time in acting to help the passengers inside the van, and I want to thank them for the important role they played in helping emergency personnel bring everyone to safety.”
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Special needs van has been pulled from the culvert and towed away here in north Reading #7news pic.twitter.com/PzAw9yxAzs
— Steve Cooper (@scooperon7) July 23, 2019
7 people in special needs van hospitalized in North Reading after van rolls into a culvert #7news pic.twitter.com/9AY1ub0MKT
— Steve Cooper (@scooperon7) July 23, 2019
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