BREAKING: One injured after car smashes into HUSD school bus

Firefighters assess the damage to the sedan and bus involved in the collision. Miguel Shannon photo

The sedan hit the bus with so much force it became wedged under the bus. Miguel Shannon photo

HEMET – A traffic collision between a Hemet Unified school bus and a passenger vehicle this morning left one person injured and backed up traffic for about an hour. The accident happened at the intersection of Sanderson and Devonshire Avenues.

CHP officers, Hemet police officers, City of Hemet firefighters, a Hemet Unified School District supervisor, and HUSD maintenance personnel rushed to the scene of the accident, which was reported to CHP dispatchers at 8:17 a.m.

The first arriving officers at the scene reported there were three subjects involved in the accident; including the female driver of the bus, one juvenile female passenger from West Valley High School and one adult female driver of the sedan.

Officers, firefighters and school district personnel at the scene of the accident. Miguel Shannon photo

Early indications from the scene revealed that the bus was traveling southbound on Sanderson Avenue and was either stopped or coming to a stop at Devonshire Avenue when the sedan smashed into the back of it.

Neither the bus driver nor the passenger on the bus were injured. The female passenger from the bus was picked up at the scene by her mother. The girl’s mother responded to the location after her daughter called her to tell her about the accident.

City of Hemet Police Sergeant Brock confirmed Hemet police officers responded to the scene to assist CHP officers in their investigation. He referred all other questions to CHP.

California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Darren Meyer explained the accident was still in the early stages of investigation; however he identified the driver of the sedan, described as a grey Chrysler, as Marilyn Peele.

The driver of the sedan smashed into the back of the bus at the intersection of Sanderson and Devonshire Avenues. Miguel Shannon photo

According to Meyer, Peele sustained minor injuries and had complaints of pain after the accident. She was evaluated at the scene by paramedics and transported by AMR personnel to Hemet Valley Hospital for further treatment.

“We remind all citizens to be aware of school buses and to use extra caution and watch for children loading and offloading school buses while school is in session,” Meyer said.

Hemet Unified School District Public Information Officer Alex Cass said the school district was fully cooperating with the law enforcement investigation regarding the accident.

Cass took the opportunity to discuss bus safety and awareness. “We ask our community members to obey speed limits in school zones. Also, if they see a bus stopped with their blinking red lights and stop signs visible to be aware of children in the vicinity and to drive with added caution,” Cass said.

The sedan involved in the collision sustained major damage and had to be towed from the scene. Miguel Shannon photo

While California Highway Patrol Officers investigated the rear-end collision, HUSD maintenance personnel checked the bus for damage, and a tow truck removed the Chrysler – that sustained major damage in the accident – from the scene.

CHP’s investigation into this accident is ongoing.

Click any image to open full-sized gallery.

The driver of the sedan smashed into the back of the bus at the intersection of Sanderson and Devonshire Avenues. Miguel Shannon photo

The sedan hit the bus with so much force it became wedged under the bus. Miguel Shannon photo

The sedan involved in the collision sustained major damage and had to be towed from the scene. Miguel Shannon photo

A tow truck driver prepares to clean up fluids spilled from the wrecked sedan. Miguel Shannon photo

The HUSD bus sustained almost no damage in the collision. Miguel Shannon photo

The sedan involved in the collision sustained major damage and had to be towed from the scene. Miguel Shannon photo

This is a developing story. Additional information will be added as it becomes available.

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including the Robert Presley Detention Center, the Southwest Station in Temecula, the Hemet Station, and the Lake Elsinore Station, along with many other locations.