- NEW: Witnesses says passengers were bloodied, one was pinned by the bus
- NEW: "Everybody pulled off to the side of the road, trying to help," a man says
- Police: 2 helicoptered out, 8 driven to hospitals, 9 treated and released on site
- Relatives of those on the bus are asked to go to a local Baptist church
(CNN) -- A bus trip back to an Indianapolis church ended in tragedy Saturday afternoon with bloodied bodies, luggage strewn everywhere and three dead, in addition to 17 injured, after the vehicle flipped over.
The smashed bus teetered on a concrete barrier -- with a young woman's leg pinned between them, according to witnesses -- as passengers spilled outside in various states of disarray and despair.
"I saw bodies everywhere, kids in shock and disbelief," said John Murphy, who'd stopped along the northern Indianapolis road. "... There was a lot of blood. There was an awful lot of blood."
Indianapolis police spokesman Michael Hewitt said, in addition to the three dead, two seriously injured were helicoptered from the crash scene, eight others were driven to local hospitals and nine others were treated and released on-site.
The bus had been transporting teens from camp back to a local Baptist church, the Indianapolis Fire Department tweeted.
"Please pray for all involved," the department added.
Rose Vorenkamp was driving with Murphy, her fiancée, when she spotted the rolled-over bus and saw "people running" to help. Having been trained through her job in first aid and CPR, she moved closer and saw what she described as a girl trapped under the bus, bloodied passengers with head injuries and at least one person with a dislocated shoulder.
The fire department noted that four passers-by arrived first to help those affected by the accident, including one who helped pull the driver from the bus. It wasn't clear whether Borenkamp was one of those, though Murphy said an off-duty nurse and an EMT were among those at the scene before fire trucks and ambulances arrived.
"What we saw was everybody pulled off to the side of the road, trying to help," Murphy said. "They weren't gawking. There were a lot of people ... in tears."
Those helping eventually were met soon by firefighters and crews from 12 ambulances and four helicopters.
Video from around 5:30 p.m. showed the bus on its side and on a road barrier while first responders massed nearby.
By then, traffic in the area had been shut down and all the casualties had been sent to local hospitals. Family members were being asked to go to the church, Colonial Hills Baptist, where the bus had been heading, the fire department said.
The bus -- which was carrying about 40 passengers -- is believed to be the only vehicle involved in the crash, according to Hewitt.
