Police: 18 Suffer Minor Injuries In School Bus Accident In Cherry Hill

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CHERRY HILL, N.J. (CBS) -- A school bus carrying several children crashed and overturned on the New Jersey Turnpike in Cherry Hill on Friday. The bus ended up on its left side in a ditch on the side of the road.

The accident happened on the southbound side near Haddonfield-Berlin Road. There were 25 people on the bus at the time – 21 of them between the ages of 9 to 15. Two adults and 16 children suffered minor injuries and are expected to be fine.

"We're laying down at home and we get a phone call that the bus had an accident," said father Marcus Richards. "She was screaming and hollering, there was a lot of yelling."

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Fortunately, Marcus Richards' daughter, 12-year-old Maziyah, and all 25 people on that school bus are going to be OK.

"It was a scary moment," said Maziyah, who suffered a sprained ankle.

The bus was traveling southbound on the New Jersey Turnpike, heading from the Boys and Girls Club in Plainfield, New Jersey for a summer trip.

"I was going to the Camden Aquarium," said Maziyah.

New Jersey State Police say it appears the brakes may have locked, sending the bus careening into the shoulder.

"It started shaking and stuff and we started swerving and the bus was turning over," said Maziyah.

Facebook video shows the seconds after the crash. Drivers pulled over near mile marker 29 in Cherry Hill and helping those stuck inside.

"They stopped and helped us get off the bus and I thank them for helping me get off the bus," said Maziyah.

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"I want to thank them very much. Everyone who came by, supported, stopped and did what they needed to do to get the kids of the bus safely," said Richards.

Ambulances arrived with some of the victims to Cooper University Hospital, less than a mile from the aquarium.

"I usually don't let them go on trips far distance. I really don't like it because always in my mind, it's like something could happen, but this time, I let her go and look what happened," said Richards.