Twelve students were taken to the hospital with bumps and bruises Thursday after their school bus was hit from behind by an SUV in Middletown. Authorities say the bus was on Route 36 and headed to Thorne Middle School when the crash occurred at around 7:55 a.m.

Bus driver Kim Murray says she was stopped with her lights on when she noticed a Nissan Pathfinder approaching the bus from the rear at a high rate of speed. She says she told the children to hang on before the SUV slammed into the back of the bus, sending the vehicle lurching forward.According to police, 12 students suffered minor injuries, ranging from head and neck pain to bruises and lacerations. The woman driving the SUV needed to be extricated from her vehicle and was taken to the hospital for neck pain.