Bus crash sends six students to hospital
By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com

Six schoolchildren were transported to two local hospitals for precautionary examinations Wednesday morning after a car collided with a school bus headed to Chaparral Middle School.

The accident occurred at about 8:15 a.m. at the intersection of Tierra Rejada Road and Mountain Trail Drive. A 17yearold female was driving eastbound on Tierra Rejada Road in a Volkswagen Jetta. While crossing the intersection northbound on Mountain Trail, she collided with the school bus driven by Jan Christian, 54, of Moorpark, according to authorities.

The young woman was transported to a hospital for minor injuries, said Tom Kruschke, spokesperson for the Ventura County Fire Department.

The bus carrying 12 students was reportedly moving through the intersection, crossing Tierra Rejada Road, when the car unexpectedly collided with the front of the bus, said Larry Brown, assistant superintendent of business services for the Moorpark Unified School District.

"The bus driver is fine. She was shaken up because those are her kids and she feels responsible for them," he said. The driver was examined for injuries as a precautionary measure.

The five children were taken to the hospital because they complained of pain. One student was released to a guardian at the scene and the remaining six were transported to school, according to a school official.

The children were not wearing seat belts because their bus, like all but one of the district's buses, is not equipped with restraints.

"The debate about school bus seat belts is ongoing," said Kruschke. "It's a safety issue and a point of contention, but the law doesn't require it now," he said.

From this point on, new school buses must have seat restraints but the old ones can operate without them, Brown said. The controversy over whether buses should have restraints has gone on for years, with some studies determining they are dangerous in certain circumstances.

"I don't think seat restraints would have helped in this situation," Brown said.

School buses were designed for safety, and when children are restrained it can add to evacuation time.