THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, June 28, 1995 TAG: 9506280447
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SUSIE STOUGHTON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Short : 40 lines
Thirteen people were injured Tuesday morning in a three-vehicle accident on Pruden Boulevard, police said.
The accident happened in front of Tidewater Occupational Center in the 4100 block of Pruden - also called U.S. Route 460 - as a westbound bus turned left into the center's driveway about 8:13 a.m.
The driver of a 1988 Chevrolet pickup behind the bus apparently didn't notice in time that the bus was turning, said police spokesman Mike Simpkins.
The pickup's driver, James E. Robertson, 46, of the 2300 block of Box Elder Road, swerved right, and his pickup hit the wheels of a tractor-trailer in the right lane of the four-lane highway, Simpkins said. The trailer's rear wheels ran over the front of the pickup, causing it to spin around and hit the rear of the bus, he said.
Suffolk firefighters extricated Robertson, who was pinned in the wreckage.
He was taken by Nightingale helicopter to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where he was in satisfactory condition Tuesday night, a hospital spokeswoman said.
The bus driver and 11 passengers - handicapped workers who receive vocational training at the center - were taken to Louise Obici Memorial Hospital by the Nansemond Suffolk Rescue Squad. All were treated in the emergency room and released later in the day.
The driver of the tractor-trailer was not injured.
The pickup was destroyed, and the bus and tractor-trailer sustained minor damage.
A police investigation is continuing.
KEYWORDS: ACCIDENT TRAFFIC INJURIES by CNB