Parents Say 2 Students OK After England Crash : Trauma: Although two Foothill High youths escaped serious injury in a bus accident that killed two others, there is worry that the emotional impact is yet to surface. They plan to complete their studies at Oxford.

Two Foothill High School students attending a study program at Oxford University emerged from a fatal bus crash in the English countryside without serious physical injuries, but their parents remain wary of emotional wounds that may surface later.

“For a 16-year-old to see kids he just met put into body bags was a pretty tough thing,” said Dr. John West, whose son, Justin, suffered only scrapes and cuts in the crash. “The girl who lived in the room next to (Justin) was killed. It’s going to be tough for him.”

Justin and a Foothill High classmate, Charlton Yu, also 16, were on a field trip Thursday with 54 other gifted high school students attending the Oxford University Advanced Studies Program, a three-week study and social course, when their double-decker bus overturned on a highway outside Oxford. Two students were killed and 59 passengers were injured.

The 40-year-old driver of the bus, who was slightly injured, was arrested Thursday night and charged with causing death by reckless driving, police said. They said that alcohol was not a factor in the accident.

Charlton, who was dozing when the bus flipped over, was propelled through a window and pinned beneath the bus for about 30 minutes, Justin told his family in an overseas phone call. Justin told his father that the accident occurred when the bus driver, who allegedly was speeding, attempted to swerve away from an oncoming vehicle.

“He called about 7:30 (Thursday) morning,” the elder West said. “He said he was all right, but he thought Charlton was more seriously injured than he was.”

Justin said Charlton landed on soft earth, which cushioned him from the crushing weight of the bus above him.

Charlton’s mother, Connie Yu, said her son called after the accident to say that he was uninjured except for a few cuts on his legs, hands and ears. However, he phoned again Friday morning to say he was suffering from leg and back pain and was having difficulty walking. She added that her son returned to the hospital and was given a clean bill of health by doctors.

“He was a little shaky (Thursday),” she said. “I spoke to him (Friday) morning--he’s much better, in spirit he’s OK.”

Connie Yu added that her son could not recall the accident because he was asleep when he was thrown from the bus. He became distraught when Justin and other friends told him of the accident and the scene.

“After he found out what was going on he said he felt like he wants to come home, but I said you’ll feel better if you go through the program,” she said. “I told him if you come home, you’ll feel miserable.”

John West said he offered the same advice to his son, who also raised the possibility of returning to Orange County before his scheduled Aug. 3 return. Justin and the other youths will be better able to deal with the tragedy by seeking counseling together and talking among themselves rather than going their separate ways, he said.

“I don’t think coming home is the answer,” West said. “Sending them home would be a big mistake--they wouldn’t really work it out. I think that the healthiest thing would be to just cut back on (the program) for a couple of days and give them the opportunity for some bonding and the chance to cope.”

Deirdre Walsh, coordinator of the Advanced Studies Program at Oxford University’s office in New York, said most of the students asked to complete the program, which has two weeks to go. The students are discussing their feelings about the accident among themselves and are meeting with counselors, she said.

Justin and Charlton, who will both be juniors at Foothill this fall, are both studying creative writing and modern literature at Oxford, their parents said. John West, a surgeon who formed Orange County’s trauma centers network for severe accident victims, said his son hopes to follow him into the medical field, and Connie Yu said Charlton plans to study law.