1 Student Still Recovering in Hospital After Wolcott Bus Crash

One child remains hospitalized after a small school bus carrying three disabled students crashed into a tree on the northbound side of Todd Road in Wolcott Monday afternoon, also injuring the two other students and a bus monitor.

The bus had just left Tyrrell Middle School when the driver, Mark Hudobenko, 57, of Oakville, told police he veered right to avoid an oncoming car and struck a tree near Route 307 at about 3:30 p.m, according to police. He was one of the people to call 911.

"Yes, 301 Todd Road, school bus, bad accident, bad with kids, need ambulances, everything," Hudobenko said when he called 911.

A manager from the bus company, All-Star Transportation, also called 911.

"Hi, my bus 202, wheelchair van by 299 Todd Road had an accident and I guess we need an ambulance and that's a wheelchair bus," the manager told a 911 dispatcher.

Five people were on the bus, including the driver, a monitor and students in sixth, seventh and eighth grade. The monitor and one student were seriously injured and the two other students were also hurt, so all four were rushed to the hospital. Hudobenko wasn't hurt.

The students were all wearing seat belts.

Two students and the monitor have been released from the hospital. The third student was transferred by a LifeStar helicopter to Connecticut Children's Medical Center. He is listed in serious but stable condition.

Hudobenko didn't have any drugs or alcohol in his system, according to tests that came back negative. There also isn't indication that fatigue was a factor in the crash. Police are also checking the driver's phone records. Hudobenko has no history of any driving problems. At this point, police said it's too soon to tell if any charges will be filed.

"It's too early to tell. From what we had heard a car came a little bit over the line causing the driver to swerve," Wolcott Police Chief Edward Stephens said. "We are still checking that story out. It's too early to say what the factors were."

People on Todd Road dropped what they were doing and a paramedic who just happened to be driving behind the bus raced to help.