2 Students Hurt in Minor Bus Accident

Two students riding in a packed school bus suffered minor injuries Thursday morning in a collision with another vehicle.

The bus driver apparently misjudged the speed of an oncoming car and turned in front of the vehicle, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said.

Bus driver Cynthia Wickham, 45, was headed north on Lewis Road in Camarillo about 7:50 a.m. when she attempted to make a left turn onto Temple Avenue, CHP Officer Dave Cockrill said.

Joseph Howell, a 33-year-old Simi Valley man, was driving his Chevy Suburban south about 45 mph when the bus turned in front of him, Cockrill said.

“Howell did what he could to swerve around the bus, but struck the right rear end of the school bus,” he said.

One student suffered a bump to the head and the other complained of back pain, Cockrill said. Although the front of Howell’s vehicle was badly damaged, he was not injured.

The accident is still under investigation as officers decide whether to file charges for failure to yield the right of way, Cockrill said.