Bus carrying students to Spokane Public Montessori collides with a sedan

A school bus carrying about 30 students to Spokane Public Montessori collided with a sedan on the way to school Tuesday morning.

The report of the crash came in at 8:08 a.m. No one on the school bus or in the sedan reported injuries, although the driver of a third vehicle was transported to the hospital due to an old injury that might have been worsened by the crash, according to Spokane police Spokesman John O’Brien.

The Durham school bus was northbound on Washington Street near North River Drive when the crash occurred, O’Brien said. Spokane Public Schools contracts with Durham to transport its students.

A driver in a Subaru sedan was attempting to turn east onto North River Drive from southbound Washington Street, O’Brien said. The bus and the Subaru collided as the light turned yellow, and the Subaru spun and collided with a Mazda SUV that was behind it in the southbound turn lane.

Northbound traffic on Washington Street quickly backed up across the bridge over the Spokane River. Cars were diverted onto North River Drive until just before 9:30 a.m., when the scene was cleared of debris.

The Subaru and Mazda had significant damage and were towed from the scene. The bus was nearly unscathed, with the exception of the crossing arm, which will need to be replaced.

The children on the school bus were loaded onto a replacement bus just before 8:50 a.m.