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November 3, 2009

Cell phone contributes to crash involving school bus

Mark Schlachtenhaufen

EDMOND — An Edmond teen talking on his cell phone caused a three-car accident involving a school bus Tuesday morning, police said.

Glynda Chu, spokeswoman for the Edmond Police Department, said an Edmond school bus was traveling to John Ross Elementary School when it was struck by a 2004 Chevy Trailblazer being driven by Dillon Hart, 16, of Edmond, shortly after 8 a.m.

The accident occurred at the East Danforth Road-Boulevard Avenue intersection. Hart was driving westbound on Danforth and turned in front of a 2000 Oldsmobile Silhouette traveling eastbound on Danforth, Chu said.

Chu said the first car in line at the intersection was a 2009 Honda Accord driven by an Edmond woman. The school bus was in line behind the Honda and was hit head-on, she said. The Honda was sideswiped.

“There were six children and the bus driver on the bus,” Chu said. “No children were injured. The momentum had slowed so that by the time the bus was impacted the children reported they only felt a bump.”

Hart admitted to talking on his cell phone at the time of the crash, and he was ticketed for failure to yield at an intersection, police said.

Chu said the the driver of the Oldsmobile suffered minor injuries and was transported by private vehicle to Edmond Medical Center.

Kenny Chamlee, Edmond Public Schools’ director of transportation, said the bus driver, Monty Childs, 42, was not injured. Chamlee said Childs took all the appropriate steps for the situation, including checking on the students’ welfare and calling the transportation office.

Childs said his bus was waiting for the light to turn green when he saw the SUV bounce off the minivan and run into the bus.

“No one went by ambulance, which is a good thing,” Childs said.

Chamlee said damage to the school bus was limited to the front bumper, which will not have to be replaced.

The momentum of the crash carried the vehicles over the divider curb at the intersection to traffic waiting at the light northbound on Boulevard, Chu said.



REPORTER KATHY TOPPINS contributed to this report.

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