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Jersey school bus crash leaves student and beloved teacher dead

Posted 5/21/18

NORTH BRANCH - Friends and family are mourning the loss of Jennifer Williamson-Kennedy, 51, who was killed along with a student when the New Jersey school bus they were traveling in was involved in a …

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Jersey school bus crash leaves student and beloved teacher dead

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NORTH BRANCH - Friends and family are mourning the loss of Jennifer Williamson-Kennedy, 51, who was killed along with a student when the New Jersey school bus they were traveling in was involved in a collision with a dump truck last week.

Although not originally from the area, Williamson-Kennedy and her husband, Kevin, spent several years refurbishing a farm in North Branch, where they loved to spend long weekends visiting during the summer months.

“My beautiful bride and I have been in total love every day of our lives since the day our eyes met on May 5, 1994,” said Kevin Kennedy at the time of the accident. “I am in shock, devastated and totally crushed by today's tragedy to both sides of the Williamson-Kennedy families, the community she taught and the thousands of students and their families she was very proud to serve.”

Williamson-Kennedy had been a teacher at the district in Paramus, New Jersey. for nearly 20 years. She was traveling with a group of fifth graders from East Brook Middle School in Paramus en route to Waterloo Village, a restored 19th-century canal town in Sussex County, New Jersey, when tragedy struck.

One of the three buses traveling to Waterloo Village collided with a dump truck near exit 25 on Route 80 at 10:21 a.m., causing the bus to overturn.

The violent crash left two dead and 43 injured. Along with Williamson-Kennedy, 10-year-old student Miranda Vargas was also killed in the crash.

According to the New jersey State Police (NJSP), the cause of the accident is under investigation , but “no fault has been found at this time,” said NJSP Sgt. Jeff Flynn in a news release on Friday.

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