Three people remain in hospital following the crash of a Toronto bus in New Jersey on Saturday.

A spokesperson with St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson, N.J., told CBC News that of the eight people who were in critical condition yesterday, five have been treated and released. Three remain under care in fair condition, though there was no word when they might be released.

Four others, who were sent to hospital in nearby Wayne, have all been treated and released.

None of the injuries were considered life-threatening.

Almost two dozen people were injured Saturday morning when a bus loaded with 57 passengers overturned on an exit ramp on Interstate 80. The bus — charted by members of a Seventh Day Adventists church group in Toronto — was en route to a religious event in Brooklyn. It slid down an embankment, eventually landing on its side. Several people had to be freed from the wreckage.

Driver blames other motorist

The bus driver, who suffered a cut on his arm, blamed the accident on another motorist, telling state police he was cut off in traffic.

All of the passengers were Canadian, according to Sgt. Adam Grossman, with New Jersey state police.

One passenger told The Associated Press that she didn't realize what was happening at first.

"I just hear the glass cracking, cracking and then I look, I saw, I saw, my god, what is this? You know and I was laying on the floor," said the woman, who was not named.

Another female passenger had been sleeping when the collision occurred.

"I had just gotten up from sleeping and so, you know, felt the commotion and then all of a sudden, you knew the bus had turned over," she said.

The accident occurred at a loop interconnecting several highways that has been nicknamed the "spaghetti bowl."

The passengers who were unharmed were eventually loaded on to another bus so they could continue their journey to their scheduled event in Brooklyn. They were about 25 kilometres away from their destination, according to reports.

The coach bus was registered in Ontario and was from the Toronto-based AVM Max 2000 Charter Services Inc.

The company has existed for about 20 years and the driver reportedly had a clean record.

State troopers are investigating the accident.

With files from Associated Press