Two dead in Penn State bus crash

A student and a bus driver were killed on a foggy interstate early yesterday morning. An annual sightseeing trip came to a tragic halt yesterday as four buses packed with hundreds of Pennsylvania State University students crashed, killing a student and a bus driver and injuring 113 people. Severe fog is believed to be the cause of the accident, which occurred shortly before 1 a.m. yesterday morning on Interstate 80 near Wilkes-Barre in northeastern Pennsylvania. The four buses involved in the accident were part of a group of six -- chartered from the Blue and White Line of Altoona, Pa. -- returning from a day-trip to New York City. About 280 students were on board. "We offer our condolences to the families of the deceased and want to do everything possible to assist the other students who made this trip," Penn State President Graham Spanier said in a statement. Carbon County Coroner Bruce Nalesnik identified the dead student as Denise Orndorff, 23, of Ohiopyle, Pa., the Associated Press reported. Police identified the dead driver as Robert Clifford Burge, 50, of Altoona. Between 150 and 200 rescue workers responded to the crash scene, along with 25 state police officers from three different barracks. The people injured in the accident were treated at 10 area hospitals and five people remained in serious condition as of last night. "The status of the injured people ranges from mostly treated and released all the way up to the few that are in pretty bad shape," Penn State spokesperson Annemarie Mountz said. "Most of the injuries appear to have been facial injuries." A pickup truck and two cars were also involved in the accident. The conditions of those motorists were not known, Yates said. Three of the buses were in a row and crashed into each other end-to-end; another bus crashed into a guard rail at the side of the road. The two other buses that made the trip avoided the crash. Students involved in the crash said the situation was grim from the beginning. "The fog was awful," Penn State freshman Jessica Miller told the AP. "We got off the bus and we couldn't even see each other right away. We didn't realize the extent of it until we got off the bus." "I saw a girl holding her teeth in her hand. It was just unbelievable," she added. Roughly 220 of the 280 Penn State passengers had returned to the University Park, Pa., campus by yesterday afternoon. Students were greeted by Spanier and other top university officials, including representatives from Residence Life, University Health Services and Counseling and Psychological Services. Friends and some family members were also on hand. "We urged them all to call home," Mountz said. The Pennsylvania State Police at Swiftwater are currently investigating the crash. In his statement, Spanier shared his appreciation for those who helped alleviate an extremely difficult situation yesterday. "In particular, I want to thank the many emergency services personnel, police and hospital staffs throughout the northeast part of the state that jumped into action so quickly to attend to the needs of our students," Spanier said.

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