Students released from hospital shortly after crash

Manatee County Public School officials report all eight students taken to a local hospital Friday, after the bus in which they were riding was struck by another vehicle, are doing OK.

"All the students were released (from the hospital) within an hour-and-one-half of the crash," said Mike Barber, of the school district's community and press relations office. "Everything went as well as could possibly be expected."

On March 2, as the bus was picking up students on the way to Freedom Elementary School, a silver pickup truck ran a stop sign, drove around another car and then rear-ended the bus at the intersection of 27th Street East and 11th Avenue East, officials said.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].