Woman Critically Hurt in 3-Vehicle Crash

An Encino woman who suffered head trauma and a broken arm in a three-vehicle accident in Thousand Oaks was in critical but stable condition Wednesday evening.

A school bus was involved in the crash, but no children were aboard.

Cristina Ramirez, 54, was conscious and expected to remain in the intensive care unit for the next few days, undergoing tests to determine the extent of her injuries, said Kris Carraway, spokeswoman for Los Robles Regional Medical Center.

According to Sheriff’s Deputy Brad Clifton, Ramirez was traveling north in her Mitsubishi Mirage on Lynn Road at 11:10 a.m. Wednesday when it was broadsided by a 19-passenger school bus traveling east on Avenida de los Arboles.

Joan Potter, 54, of Ventura was driving the Durham Transportation bus. The Mirage then rammed a 1996 Honda Civic driven by 17-year-old Erik Cohen of Thousand Oaks, causing minor damage to the Honda. Potter suffered a bruised arm and Cohen was not hurt. Neither car was carrying passengers.

Ramirez was trapped in her car for about 10 minutes until Ventura County Fire Department workers could remove the driver-side door.

Clifton would not say which driver was at fault, but he said detectives were investigating a possible traffic-signal violation.

Investigators have ruled out alcohol as a factor in the collision.