School bus fender bender nets few minor injuries, little damage

A fender-bender between a school bus and car Friday afternoon briefly delayed buses heading home from Northern Lights Elementary School.

The incident occurred at 2:52 p.m. as both vehicles were eastbound on North 28th Street just prior to the Hammond Avenue intersection, according to a Superior police accident report. The car stopped in traffic for the red light at Hammond Avenue. The bus, which was approaching from behind, struck the rear of the car. Along with the driver, there were 40 Northern Lights Elementary School students and teachers on the bus, which was returning from a field trip to the school forest.

“It was a very, very minor accident,” said Tom Geisler, director of transportation for the school district of Superior. No citations were issued, according to the report, although one of the factors listed indicated the bus may have been following the car too closely. There was no visible damage to the bus and only a scraped fender on the car in front of it, Geisler said.

Students reported a few minor injuries, including a bumped lip, according to the transportation director. Those students went to the school nurse’s office and were released.

“Everybody was fine,” Geisler said, but the afternoon incident did hold up a couple of home-bound buses. The driver of the car, a South Range woman, was complaining of back pain when she stepped out of the car. She was not transported and the accident report lists the damage to her vehicle as very minor.

The school district planned to send letters Monday to inform parents whose children were on the bus about the accident. Geisler said the district also has video of what happened on the bus.

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