Nearly a dozen bus passengers were taken to a hospital Monday afternoon after a Metrobus crashed with a pickup truck and then slammed into a tree in Silver Spring, Maryland, officials said.

The J2 bus headed to Montgomery Westfield mall crashed with the truck Monday afternoon on East-West Highway at Grubb Road. The sound of the collision could be heard for blocks, people in the area at the time said.

"The driver of the bus was trapped for about 15 minutes. There's not much of a front of a bus," Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service spokesman Pete Piringer said.

The bus driver was severely injured and taken to a hospital. Ten passengers were taken to a hospital with lesser injuries.

Police reviewed surveillance video from the bus and focused on the actions of the white pickup truck in the moments before the crash.

The driver, Rudy Vasquez, received a citation for reckless driving. He told News4 he plans to contest the citation.

East-West Highway was closed in both directions near the site of the collision.