One week after the Nevada Assembly approved a bill requiring lap-shoulder seat belts in school buses, 14 students were injured when a car T-boned their Clark County School District bus in an intersection, causing the bus to flip on its side.
The injuries sustained by the school bus passengers in the Thursday morning crash were listed as minor. But the 70-year-old female driver of the car died at the scene. Her granddaughter remained in critical condition at this report.
13 Action News in Las Vegas reported that the student bus riders were quickly evacuated, most of them on their own, and 14 were transported to a hospital for evaluation. It also quoted students who praised the driver as well as a 12-year-old classmate for helping to steer the bus and ensure the crash wasn’t even worse.
“Bottom line is the bus driver — at this point — we’re celebrating,” Clark County School District Police Capt. Ken Young told reporters at the scene.
Watch: Las Vegas District Addresses Media Following Bus Crash
According to eyewitness accounts, the bus driver tried to serve out of the way of the oncoming car, which apparently ran a stop sign. After the car impacted the side of the bus,
Clark County School District added in a statement that all students were accounted for and reunited with their parents.
“All bus riders will fully recover from minor injuries,” Shannon Evans, executive director of transportation for the district, told STN Thursday evening. “(The) Bus angels were with us today.”
The district in another statement added that members of its Crisis Response Team were at the school Thursday to provide counseling and support services for students.
