A Honda Civic slammed into the front passenger side of an Elyria school bus carrying seven students on the city's east side Monday morning, sending four people to the hospital with minor injuries. The crash happened near the intersection of State Route 57 and Cleveland Street around 7 a.m., snarling the morning commute and forcing the school district to scramble a replacement bus for the remaining students.
According to Cleveland.com, the bus was traveling east on Cleveland Street while the Honda driver was heading north on State Route 57 when the two vehicles collided. The bus was en route to pick up students headed to Northwood Middle School at the time of the crash. Elyria police were called to the scene around 7 a.m.
The account provided to the outlet indicates the school bus entered the intersection against the traffic signal. Responding officers found both vehicles near the northeast corner of the intersection once they arrived.
Conflicting Accounts On Whether A Student Was Hurt
Elyria police said the bus driver, the bus aide, the Honda driver and one student were all taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries. But Elyria City Schools said no students were injured in the crash, according to the same report — a discrepancy between the police account and the district's statement that has not been resolved.
The district notified parents about the collision and dispatched a new bus to carry the remaining students to school, per the report. It is not clear from available information how long students waited before the replacement bus arrived.
Highway Patrol Helped Inspect The Bus
The Ohio State Highway Patrol was on scene to help inspect the school bus following the crash. Streets in the area reopened shortly before 8:30 a.m., according to Elyria police Captain Bill Lantz.
No further details on citations, charges or a formal cause determination for the crash were available. The Ohio State Highway Patrol maintains crash reporting resources, though no case-specific report for this collision has been released.
