A1 Communications Cable Techs Health Care Sierra Tucson Eating Disorders Program Coordinator Trades/Construction RANCHO RESORT MAINTANANCE POSITION Tucson Region2 buses collide; 14 kids hurt slightlyarizona daily star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 05.17.2008
Fourteen children suffered minor injuries when two school buses collided Friday morning on the frontage road west of Interstate 10 in Marana, a police official said.
One of the buses was westbound on West Tangerine Road, and turning right onto the frontage road just after 7 a.m., when it collided with another bus traveling north, said Sgt. Chris Warren, a Marana Police Department spokesman.
Both buses were on their way to Marana Middle School, 11279 W. Grier Road, Warren said.
A southbound truck then swerved to avoid the collision, and its rear clipped one of the school buses. The driver of the truck was not injured, Warren said.
Both bus drivers were taken to a hospital, Marana Unified School District spokeswoman Tamara Crawley said. They will undergo drug testing, as is district policy when bus drivers are involved in a collision.
The driver of the bus that turned in front of the other was identified as Raymond Tash, 55, and he was cited for failure to yield while making a right turn, Warren said.
He has been working for the district since Feb. 12, Crawley said. He is now on home assignment with pay pending the outcome of an internal investigation, she said.
The other bus driver's name was not released because she wasn't cited.
Tash's bus had 38 children, and the other bus was carrying 50 children along with its driver, Crawley said.
Right after the crash, five children were taken to the hospital, but they hadn't suffered serious injuries, she said.
The rest of the children, all seventh- and eighth-graders, were taken to the Marana Middle School cafeteria where they met their parents and underwent further medical evaluation. Nine more students were taken to the hospital from the middle school, Crawley said.
All had minor injuries, she said, and all students and both bus drivers were released from the hospital later in the day.
"We are extremely grateful the injuries were not more serious," Crawley said. "All parents were contacted very shortly following the accident."
All students on Marana buses are required to wear seat belts, and, according to emergency responders, the children's injuries could have been worse had they not been buckled in.
Traffic was restricted on the frontage road for a couple of hours after the crash.
The buses were taken to the Marana Unified School District bus yard to be examined by the Department of Public Safety. One had substantial front-end damage and the other had a smashed-up side, Warren said.
The DPS, the Marana school district and Marana police will all investigate the collision, Crawley said.
● Contact reporter Dale Quinn at 629-9412 or dquinn@azstarnet.com.
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