Vandergrift woman injured in crash with unloaded school bus in Allegheny Township

A Vandergrift woman was seriously injured when the small pickup she was driving crashed into a school bus in Allegheny Township on Wednesday afternoon, township police said.

There were no children on the small bus when the accident occurred at 3:45 p.m. collision along Hyde Park Road near the AutoZone store, just north of Route 56.

Police said the pickup driver, Leta Eckert, 42, of Vandergrift, suffered injuries to her head, legs and feet, which were jammed under the steering wheel of the Chevrolet S-10 she was driving.

Firefighters freed her and medics started treatment for injuries to both legs, police said.

The Byers Busing Co. bus driver wasn’t injured, a company official at the scene said.

Allegheny Township police Chief Duane Fisher said the pickup “crossed the center line and crashed into the side of unloaded school bus.”

“She had to be extricated by mechanical means. Due to the weather we were unable to transport her by helicopter,” he said. As a result, Eckert was taken by ambulance to a trauma center.

Eckert’s condition was unknown Wednesday night.

Chuck Biedka and Madasyn Czebiniak are Tribune-Review staff writers. You can contact Chuck at 724-226-4711, cbiedka@tribweb.com or via Twitter @chuckbiedka. Contact Madasyn at 724-226-4702, mczebiniak@tribweb.com, or via Twitter @maddyczebstrib.