Fourteen Amherst students were involved in an accident over Fall Break while on a bus headed for New York City to partake in an event co-sponsored by the Career Center and the Office of Alumni and Parent Programs.

The event, titled "Amherst on the Road to NYC," was scheduled to take place on Tuesday, Oct. 9. The plan was to visit various alumni involved in media and communications organizations in New York City.

Associate Director of the Career Center Carolyn Bassett was not on the bus, but she was familiar with the details of the trip. "The idea was to have the bus leave the College early in the morning, and once in New York City, the students would get to meet multiple alumni at a couple of different organizations," Bassett said. "They would be able to talk with alumni at their venue, and the alumni could bring in their colleagues for the students to get a chance to talk with as well."

According to directions given to them, Amherst students loaded a bus bound for New York City in the early morning. Their plans were curtailed when another car pulled out in front of the bus on Interstate 91 (I-91) near Winsorlock, Conn., resulting in a collision. No one on the bus or the driver of the car was seriously hurt. "The bus was so enormous that it could take the blow. It was, however, still disabled, but the damage to the bus was fairly minor," Bassett explained. The damage to the car, however, was more significant.

Because the accident occurred on I-91 during morning rush hour traffic, massive traffic delays ensued. Since the event schedule was pretty tightly packed, the trip leaders deliberated on whether or not to continue on to the city. Realizing that they would be faced with even more traffic in New York City, they decided that it would be better to turn around.

This was a disappointment to the students, who were looking forward to the events in the big city, but they accepted the outcome. Bassett complimented the students for keeping the situation in perspective. "People were very understanding that these things can occasionally happen," she said. "That kind of odd thing can occur, but I am glad that no one was seriously hurt."

Basset hopes that the Career Center will find a way to bring to campus the alumni that students were supposed to see in New York City or to try again to travel to the city sometime in the future.