4 Hurt When School Bus and SUV Collide

Four people suffered minor injuries Thursday, including two Loma Vista Elementary School students, when a small school bus collided head-on with a sport utility vehicle.

The incident happened shortly after 2 p.m. at the intersection of Foothill Road and Bayview Avenue, about a mile from the school.

The driver of a Chevrolet Blazer accidentally turned into the path of the bus, officers said.

The bus is a 16-seater used to transport students with special needs, said Loma Vista Principal Karen Senesac. On board were three hearing-impaired students and a fourth child who is both hearing and sight-impaired.

Within a few minutes of the crash, school officials arrived on scene with employees who know sign language. The interpreters communicated with the children on a nearby curb.

A couple of students were visibly shaken by the incident, one witness said. One boy clutched a small stuffed animal as he was led to one of three ambulances.

Senesac said she called the students’ parents, who immediately drove to be with their children at area hospitals. All the students are Ventura residents.

“They were concerned and worried but glad to hear that everyone was going to be OK,” Senesac said.

Although the bus is equipped with seat belts, the students are not required to wear them, said Officer Rex Mohun of the California Highway Patrol. It is unknown how many students had been wearing seat belts.

Francisco Pereda, 9, suffered a nose bleed and Joseph Spina, 11, complained of stomach pain. Both boys were treated at Community Memorial Hospital and released.

Everyone else in the crash was sent to Ventura County Medical Center and all had been released by Thursday afternoon, Mohun said.

Bus driver Shirley Neil, 58, was treated for thumb pain that occurred when she gripped the steering wheel too tightly.

Neil is an Ojai resident and 15-year employee of the Ventura Unified School District. During the crash, her air bag deployed.

Blazer driver Sarah Cohen, 19, of Ventura, received several stitches for cuts on her cheek and gums. She was also treated for lacerations on her hands and minor pain to a knee, Mohun said.

“She was stopped and about to make a turn, and she didn’t see the bus,” Mohun said.

Cohen was not wearing a seat belt when the crash occurred. She was not cited for failing to stop, but the investigation is continuing.

Students Kala Metcalf, 7, and Kore Schultz, 6, were not injured, though they were taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure.

“They [school officials] just wanted to cover all the bases. Some of the children have trouble communicating and they wanted to be sure in case they couldn’t express their pain,” Mohun said.

School Supt. Joseph Spirito came to the crash site and talked with school employees and media.

“My concern is that the kids are OK,” he said.

According to officers, Cohen had been traveling west on Foothill Road when she stopped to make a left turn onto Bayview Avenue. Neil was driving students home and was headed east on Foothill traveling at about 40 mph.

As Cohen started to turn, her Blazer slammed head-on into the bus, authorities said.

Both the bus and the Blazer suffered cracked windshields and major front-end damage. The impact also snapped off a large rear-view mirror and a front license plate on the bus and shattered several of its red and orange reflectors. Debris littered the intersection.

The crash forced the closure of Foothill Road between Day Road and Walnut Drive for about an hour.