Five children were injured, one of them seriously, when a driver crashed a BMW through a Pennsylvania day care Thursday afternoon, authorities said.
Police responded to the incident at about 1:30 p.m. at Children of America, a child care center in Upper Southampton, about 25 miles north of Philadelphia.
The vehicle shot through a front window of the building all the way to the back wall of a classroom, according to a statement from the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office.
The room is usually used for children to take naps, NBC Philadelphia reported. Seventeen children between the ages of 3 and 4 years old were in the room at the time of the crash, while about 80 children were in the building.
Four injured children were taken by ambulance to a hospital, while a fifth was transported separately, according to the district attorney's office. Four of the children had been released from the hospital as of Friday afternoon.
The driver of the BMW, a woman from Philadelphia who was at the day care to make a delivery, suffered minor injuries and was hospitalized. She was released later Thursday.
A criminal investigation is expected to last several days, officials said.
Children of America is a national chain with centers across at least a dozen states.
Children of America's chairman, Jim Perretty, said the company's "main concern is the well-being of our children, their families and our staff." He said staff were working with police and authorities to "determine exactly what happened."
Counseling was available to the affected children and their families through Bucks County's Network of Victim Assistance, the district attorney's office said.
