ST. GEORGE – A Washington County School District bus was involved in a collision Wednesday morning near Pine View Middle School in St. George when a teenage driver with obstructed windows broadsided the bus in an intersection.
The St. George Communications Center received initial reports of the accident at 7:43 a.m., St. George Police Officer Tyrell Bangerter said.
The collision occurred just down the street from Pine View Middle School at the intersection of 2200 East and 40 North. The bus, which serves Pine View Middle School, had been traveling northbound on 2200 East when a passenger car traveling eastbound on 40 North, driven by a 16-year-old boy, proceeded through a stop sign and failed to yield to the bus, broadsiding it in the intersection, Bangerter said.
“The (teenage) driver had illegally tinted windows,” Bangerter said.
In addition to his windows being too darkly tinted, the teen had failed to clean frost off the car’s windows before driving.
“The tint and the glare from the frost on the windows made it so he couldn’t see the school bus,” Bangerter said.
The boy told officers he had stopped at the stop sign before proceeding into the intersection and hitting the bus. There were no witnesses to verify or contradict whether he had stopped, so he was not cited for a stop sign violation. He was, however, cited for failure to yield after a stop sign and for the obstructed windows, Bangerter said.
In addition to the driver, the bus had been carrying one adult bus aide and two students at the time of the crash. An ambulance responded to the scene and checked out everyone involved in the collision. No one had been injured.
The school bus sustained only minor damage as a result of the collision, but the teen’s car sustained heavy front-end damage and had to be towed from the scene.
“The mother of the kid made a comment that she figured (the car) was totaled,” Bangerter said. “It had pretty good damage.”
The St. George area doesn’t get a lot of frosty mornings, Bangerter said, but when the weather turns cold, it’s important for people to be responsible and thoroughly clear frost, snow and any other obstructions from their windshields before driving.
“We’re seeing more and more crashes because people aren’t taking the time to properly clear them off, so they can’t see,” he said.
The St. George Police Department, St. George Fire Department, Washington County School District Transportation Department and Gold Cross Ambulance responded to the accident scene.
This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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wow, here’s hoping for some real news to happen soon…
NEWS BREAK.! 2 vehicles destroyed by train crossing on St George Boulevard no injuries reported.. but one pink flip flop unaccounted for
LOL