Woman Arrested on DUI Charge in Berkley Bus Crash

BERKLEY — A woman has been arrested in connection with a crash involving a school bus that shut down the southbound lanes of Route 24 in Berkley on Saturday night.

Massachusetts State Police say at 9:50 p.m. on Saturday, a bus carrying 25 occupants and a passenger car veered off of the right shoulder of Route 24 South near Exit 11 in Berkley. The bus crashed into the treeline.

At least twenty ambulances from multiple surrounding towns responded to the scene. Two adults that were aboard the bus were transported to Rhode Island Hospital with serious injuries. The remaining 23 passengers were transported to Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River and Morton Hospital in Taunton for treatment of minor injuries or for precautionary reasons.

The bus was returning to Tiverton, Rhode Island, from LaSalette Shrine in North Attleboro  Massachusetts.

Massachusetts State Police say the driver of the passenger car, a female, has been arrested after police determined she was under the influence of alcohol at the scene of the crash. She was not injured.

Police say the cause of the crash remains under investigation, and it is not yet known if the female driver's impairment was a factor in the crash.

The bus is being removed from the wooded area along the highway by Big Wheels Towing Company.

The accident is under investigation by Massachusetts State Police Troop D, Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, and Crime Scene Services Section.