Seven elementary school students received minor injuries Monday morning, after the bus they were taking to school was involved in a traffic accident, according to Palm Springs Police. All seven were taken to Desert Regional Medical Center, but have since been released.
The head-on accident involved a white four door Oldsmobile sedan and the bus that was en route to Katherine Finchy Elementary School. It happened at about 8:12am on N. Farrell drive near E. Alejo Road in Palm Springs.
The unidentified driver of the sedan, described as "elderly man" by witnesses and CHP, also received minor injuries and was taken to Desert Regional Medical Center. Updates on the driver's condition were not immediately available.
N. Farrell Drive was closed in both directions between Alejo and Tamarisk, for accident clean-up and investigation, but it was reopened by 10:15am, according to authorities.
The 21 remaining students that were not injured in the accident were taken away from the scene by another bus that came about 45 minutes after the crash. They were taken to Katherine Finchy for class as normal.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation, but a CHP official told KPSP that the accident happened after the driver of the sedan, driving south on Farrell, failed to yield while making a left-hand turn onto Alejo. The bus was driving north on Farrell, and the driver apparently tried to avoid the sedan, but could not swerve in time.
California Highway Patrol with handle the investigation, as it is standard operating procedure for the organization to handle any accidents that involve a school bus carrying children, according to Officer Ramon Perez of CHP.
