9 children hospitalized after Near West Side school bus crash

Nine children were taken to hospitals with minor injuries after a school bus sideswiped a beam Thursday morning on the Near West Side.

The bus was westbound on Lake Street when it sideswiped a CTA support beam while turning northbound onto Damen Avenue at 9:15 a.m., police News Affairs Officer Jose Estrada said.

The bus driver drove to the school and dropped off the children, Estrada said. School officials called 911 to report the accident and request medical attention for the students.

Nine children were taken to hospitals as a precaution, some with minor injuries, Estrada said. Five were taken to Norwegian American Hospital and four to Little Company of Mary Hospital and Health Care Centers.

It was not yet clear whether the driver would be cited, Estrada said.