MAMAKATING — State Police from Liberty and Wurtsboro responded to the scene of an overturned school bus that was headed eastbound on Route 17 around 7:45 yesterday morning before it collided with a pickup truck.

According to State Police Public Information Officer Steven Nevel, there were five Fallsburg School District students inside the bus who all sustained minor, non-life threatening injuries.

Two bus monitors also suffered minor injuries, non-life threatening. The operator of the bus did not suffer any injuries.

The students, whose ages range from six to 17, were transported to Catskill Regional Medical Center in Harris and were all treated and released the same day.

Police shut down Route 17 East between exits 112 and 113 for around two hours before it was opened back up before 11 a.m.

Nevel said a preliminary investigation indicated that the operator of the pick-up truck, a 57-year-old male from Liberty, rear-ended the school bus, pushing it into the guiderail causing it to flip on its side.

The operator of the pick-up did not sustain any injuries. He was cited for New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law Violation for following too closely.

According to Fallsburg Superintendent Ivan Katz, the bus was headed toward Orange County.

“I am very proud of the swift action that the Rolling V staff took to make sure our students were safe throughout the incident. I am equally thankful to the first responders who took care of our students,” Katz said in a statement.