Bus Crashes in Massachusetts after Driver Suffers Heart Attack

July 31, 2009

Massachusetts police say the driver of a school bus suffered an apparent fatal heart attack at the wheel, causing the bus to crash and slightly injuring five passengers.

The accident occurred early Wednesday on Rt. 8. Police said the bus swerved off the road and struck a guard rail near the mall entrance.

The driver, 69-year-old James Witherell, of Williamstown, was pronounced dead at Berkshire Medical Center.

The Berkshire Eagle reported that the 15 passengers on the bus were part of an adult education program at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and were returning from a concert at Tanglewood in Lenox.

The passengers who were hurt were treated at the hospital and later released.