No injuries reported after crash involving Burney school bus

BURNEY, Calif. — No injuries were reported after a two-vehicle collision involving a passenger SUV and school bus in Burney earlier this afternoon, Wednesday, May 26. The crash happened at the intersection of Main Street and Mountain View Road, near Speedway Gas.

Witnesses have since reported the driver who caused the collision, reportedly a teenage driver heading home after school, appeared to have been trying to “beat” the bus to the intersection, but was not able to outrun the bus as it made a wide right turn at the intersection .

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CHP and other emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene of the crash around 3:30 p.m. When they arrived they found a silver Jeep Patriot that was wedged between the curb and a full-size Burney School District bus.

Although the bus was transporting children at the time of the collision, school district officials have since confirmed to SCNS that there were no children or others injured in the collision.

School officials also reported that after being evaluated by paramedics at the scene, the children were brought back to the school, just a short walking distance from where the crash occurred, so different transportation arrangements could be made for them. A second bus was also later seen next to the first bus, after it was brought to the location to assist with the children’s rides.

Witnesses have said a teenage driver appeared to have tried to beat a Burney School District bus to the intersection when she collided with the bus as it swung wide to the left to be able to make the sharp, right-hand turn. SCNS photos

Witnesses to the accident have since told SCNS that as the bus approached the intersection and prepared to make a right-hand turn from Mountain View Road onto Main Street it first turned wide to the left so it could make the hard right turn. According to one witness, as the bus did so the driver of the Jeep appeared to attempt to “beat” the bus to the corner, but then collided into the side of the bus as its driver executed the sharp right turn.

“I don’t know if she just didn’t realize the bus was actually turning right, or if she thought she could beat the bus to the turn, but either way it was pretty reckless and irresponsible to drive that fast near a school bus,” Sarah Evans of Redding told SCNS after witnessing the collision. She was getting gas at the Chevron across the street when she saw the crash happen across the intersection from her.

Another witness, Brooke, who was working at the cash register of a taco trailer parked at the same Chevron, later said she was looking out the window just as the collision occurred. Like Evans, she also said the driver appeared to have attempted to beat the bus to the corner.

She also said she heard the girl later admit to investigating CHP officers and others at the scene that her intention was to try to beat the bus. She reportedly said she didn’t want to get stuck behind the bus at the intersection, but by the time she realized she would not be able to beat the bus to the turn, it was too late and the collision was imminent.

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As of this report, CHP – Redding had not yet responded to a request for additional details and information about the accident or any charges the young driver who caused the collision could be facing. Their investigation into the cause of the accident is ongoing.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 49, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).

Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.

Trevor 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, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.