SUV crashes into Philadelphia Catholic elementary school

An eighth-grade student narrowly escaped injury Thursday when an SUV crashed into a Roman Catholic elementary school in Northeast Philadelphia.

The student had just entered a second-grade classroom at Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary School when the driver of a Dodge Durango lost control about 3:30 p.m. and the SUV crashed into the building at 9220 Old Bustleton Ave. and plowed into the classroom.

"It's miraculous," said Donna Farrell, spokeswoman for the Philadelphia Archdiocese, said of the child's close call. "She had just stepped into a closet to get something."

The girl was not hurt. "It's my understanding that she's fine," Farrell said.

The driver of the SUV and a 4-year-old passenger were rushed to Aria Health-Torresdale Campus for observation. Neither was seriously injured.

Classes had been dismissed at 2:45 p.m., so "a lot of people were milling around inside the school," Farrell said.

Parent-teacher conferences had been scheduled for Friday but have been postponed until the city department of Licenses and Inspections can check out the building, Farrell said.