LAGUNA HILLS : 6 Injured in Wreck Involving School Van

Six people, including an elementary school student, were injured Monday afternoon when a car apparently ran a red light at a busy intersection and hit two other vehicles before slamming head-on into a school van, authorities said.

The injuries were all described as moderate to minor by Officer Bruce Lian of the California Highway Patrol. Witnesses said the school van’s only passenger, a Viejo Elementary School student, suffered a bloody nose and the van driver had a neck injury and was taken to Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center.

The accident occurred about 3 p.m. when a Cadillac traveling southbound on Moulton Parkway ran a red light and struck a Honda traveling eastbound on Laguna Hills Drive, Lian said. The impact spun the Honda around and sent the Cadillac careening off of a pickup truck and into the school van., Lian said.

The collision pushed the van back about 30 feet into another car waiting behind it.

“The (Cadillac) just shot up in the air and hit the bus,” said Jason Hayes, 23, of Huntington Beach, who was parked in front of the van in his pickup. “The wheels just kept on spinning after he hit the bus. He must have still had his foot on the accelerator.”

Bob Keil was in his car next to Hayes’ truck when the accident occurred.

“I saw the guy coming but I had no place to go,” said Keil, 30, of Laguna Hills. “All I could do is just hope for the best.”

The impact knocked Hayes’ truck into Keil’s car. In all, five cars and the van were involved in the accident, Lian said.

“It could have been a lot worse with the school van and all the cars involved,” Lian said.

The injured included two people in the van, three in the Cadillac, and one in the Honda. No identifications were immediately available.

The accident, which remains under investigation, was the second in recent weeks involving a Capistrano Unified School District vehicle. On April 22, a student was killed in Laguna Niguel when he was hit by a truck after getting off a district bus.