TOWNSHIP OF SYLVANIA, Sylvania — Police say the driver who caused a bus transporting 13 passengers with developmental disabilities to flip on its side is facing charges.
Karen Fulkert, 81, is facing a misdemeanor charge of failure to yield.
The incident happened October 4, on Central Avenue near Meijer.
Sylvania Township Fire Chief Michael Ramm said all 13 clients on the bus and its driver were injured, as were three people in other cars involved in the incident. Patients were taken to several hospitals in the area, including and Mercy Hospital, Flower Hospital, Toledo Hospital, and St. Anne's Hospital.
NECO representatives were at Mercy Hospital, Chief Ramm said. NECO assists individuals with developmental disabilities.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol said four vehicles were involved in the crash, including Fulker.
Troopers say Fulkert, failed to yield as it was attempting to turn onto Meijer Drive from Central Avenue. The NECO bus, driven by Mwesigwa Mugashe, 39, of Toledo, struck the Buick. After the impact, Fulkert's Buick traveled off the left side of the road and hit a utility pole. The bus overturned and hit a Toyota RAV4 driven by Risa Sindel, 59, of Toledo and a 2014 Honda CRV driven by Marisa Shipman, 26, of Toledo.
Shipman was uninjured. Sindel and her passenger, Bruce Baginski, 60, of Toledo, were taken to Flower Hospital for their injuries. Fulkert also was taken to Flower Hospital for her injuries.
Chief Ramm said the rescue was challenging because of communication issues.
"If you're asking someone if they're hurting and they can't reply to you, it makes it harder on the guys who are treating them," Chief Ramm said.
Chief Ramm said in mass casualty events like this one, his department categorizes people by condition into "red," "yellow" and "green," for most severely injured, less severely injured, and least severely injured. In Friday's crash, Chief Ramm said there were five "red" conditions. No fatalities were reported.
Emergency crews were alerted to the crash on westbound Central Avenue around 10:30 a.m. The accident happened near the Meijer store on Meijer Drive.
A manager of a nearby store said that it appeared that the large vehicle and a car collided. A Buick sedan was seen wedged against a pole at the intersection.
PHOTOS: Sylvania Township crash
Shipman, who was driving the Honda CRV, said she was waiting at a red light and saw the bus going westbound on West Central. Another car was going east, and attempted to turn left into Meijer. Shipman said she heard a honk from the bus, and said that it looked like the bus driver tried to avoid the car, but ended up colliding with the car.
She said many people came out of bus and appeared to be injured, and she saw blood.
Fulkert will be arraigned in Sylvania Municipal Court next week.
Sylvania and Sylvania Township Fire and Police, the Ohio State Highway Patrol were on the scene. The crash remains under investigation and alcohol/drug use is not suspected in the crash, the Ohio State Highway Patrol said.
RELATED: 1 killed in Ottawa Co. crash