More than 15 students and two drivers were injured Wednesday morning when two school buses collided in Riverview, authorities said.
One bus crashed into the back of the other around 9 a.m. on Big Bend Road near Summerfield Crossings Boulevard as they were headed to Eisenhower Middle School.
Of the 49 students involved, 15 were taken by ambulance to a Tampa General Hospital and four more were picked up by their parents to get medical care. The remainder were taken to school on another bus. The two drivers were also taken to a hospital, according to Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.
All of the injuries were "very minor," authorities said.
"It’s pretty scary getting that call that your son is on the way to the hospital," said parent Brenda Montalvo.
Investigators said they believe the chain reaction of events started when a Ford F-350 pick-up truck that was pulling a trailer stopped in the westbound lanes of Big Bend Road to yield to a fire truck that was exiting the fire station with its emergency lights activated.
"Right when we bashed into the bus, I ended up hitting the chair and the window," said sixth grader David Duque. "My head, lip and knee were hurting, I got a cut it was bleeding but now it's okay."
The first bus properly stopped behind the pick-up truck, officials said, but the second bus was not able to stop in time and hit the rear end of the first bus.
The impact sent the first bus into the back of the trailer. That bus sustained minor damage. The driver of the truck was not injured.
One of the school bus drivers was issued a civil citation for following too closely.
The accident comes after a number of meetings where bus drivers asked the district for more training on safety and equipment.
Everyone who went to the hospital has been released. There were no serious injuries reported.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is investigating the crash.