Hudson Valley School Bus Collides With Motorcycle on 9W

A school bus carrying middle school students crashed into a motorcycle shutting down Route 9W in the Hudson Valley in both directions for hours.

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On Thursday around 7 a.m., deputies from the Ulster County Sheriff's Office responded to the area of Route 9W and Cross Street in Ulster Park for a serious personal injury auto accident involving a school bus and a motorcycle.

Upon arrival, deputies found Corey Thomas, 26, of Kingston with serious injuries. Thomas was flown by helicopter to Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital for further treatment. An update on his condition wasn't released.

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The driver of Bailey Middle School school bus, John Chichester, 70, of Port Ewen, failed to properly yield the right of way while entering Route 9W from Cross Street and struck Thomas' 2001 Honda motorcycle, police say.

Ten Bailey Middle School students were riding the bus at the time of the crash, however, no injuries to any student were reported, according to the Ulster County Sheriff's Office. They were evaluated on the scene by EMS.

Chichester was issued a traffic ticket for failing to yield the right of way at an intersection.

Thomas was found to not be licensed to operate a motorcycle and was riding without insurance and without it being registered, police say. He was issued traffic tickets for and also charged with the violation of unlawful possession of marijuana.