Eight hurt when car hits USM team’s bus

SCARBOROUGH – Eight people were injured when a charter bus carrying the University of Southern Maine men’s cross country team collided with a car early Saturday.

The crash occurred about 6 a.m. at the corner of Saco Street and Gorham Road when a car that was operating erratically and being pursued by a Westbrook police officer ran a red light and struck the bus, according to Scarborough police.

The driver and five passengers on the bus were taken to a hospital with minor injuries, police said.

Michael Churchill, 20, of Westbrook, the car’s driver, and Robert Swan, 18, of Westbrook, the passenger, were hospitalized with serious injuries, according to a police statement.

The bus was on its way to a cross country meet in Connecticut.