8 Injured in Crash of Car and School Bus

A carload of students headed for Antelope Valley High School in Lancaster collided with a school bus bound for the same campus early Tuesday, injuring the bus driver and seven students from both vehicles, authorities said.

The crash occurred about 6:35 a.m. on Avenue J west of 40th Street East in Lancaster when a boy driving the car let it drift about four feet across the road’s center line as he tried to help one of his three passengers with his seat belt, according to California Highway Patrol officers.

The car’s driver, identified as Rand Bannister, 17, of Lake Los Angeles, was listed in fair condition Tuesday afternoon with a fractured hip and pelvis at Antelope Valley Hospital Medical Center. Firefighters had to use the Jaws of Life to pry him from the wreckage. He will probably be cited for the crash, CHP Officer Charles Gilliland said.

The eight people taken to the hospital included Bannister and his three passengers, all male seniors, as well as the driver of the school bus and three girls who were among her eight passengers. All except Bannister and one girl from the bus were treated for minor injuries and released.

The most seriously injured bus passenger was identified as Angelica Vidal, 14, of Lancaster, who suffered a fractured hip. She was listed in fair condition Tuesday at the Lancaster hospital, said spokeswoman Frankie Richards.

The bus driver was identified as Tammi L. Kunik, 23, of Lancaster, who has worked for the bus agency since October, 1989, officials there said. She complained of neck and back strain. The CHP identified Bannister’s passengers as Francisco Amado, 17; Talyn Lang, 17, and David Smith, 18, all of the Lake Los Angeles area. The CHP said Bannister was helping Amado, in the front passenger seat, adjust his seat belt before the crash.

All four students in the car were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash. The school bus was not equipped with seat belts for passengers because it is not required by law.

The two girls on the bus who were treated at the hospital and released were identified as Sunday Leopard, 14, who suffered fractured ribs, and Jamie Montz, 14, both of Lancaster.

Officials with the agency that operates the bus said the crash could have been much worse had their driver not veered to the road’s shoulder while trying to avoid the oncoming car. As a result, the car only clipped the driver’s side of the bus instead of hitting it head-on.

In addition, the accident occurred as the 83-passenger bus was near the beginning of its route, with only eight of its typical 40 students aboard. The bus was operated by the Antelope Valley Schools Transportation Agency, a public bus cooperative that serves area school districts.

Gilliland said both vehicles appeared to be traveling near the 55-m.p.h. speed limit for the two-lane road.