A Westport school bus stustained front-end damage in an accident on South Compo Road this morning. There were no injuries. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
By Jennifer Connic
No students were injured this morning when a car collided with a school bus on snow-covered Compo Road South. School officials were at the scene to ensure the students were safe.
Westport Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon said a woman was driving too fast for the road conditions when she plowed into the bus at about 7:40 a.m.
A passerby estimated the bus, en route to Bedford Middle School, was carrying about 20 students.
“There were no injuries to the students,” Landon said. “Dattco sent out a replacement bus to get the kids to school and to complete the elementary run.”
Sgt. Jerry Shannon, police public information officer, said the bus was traveling northbound while the car—a Lexus sport utility vehicle—was traveling southbound.
The woman driving the Lexus failed to negotiate the S-curve near Ferry Lane East, he said, and the side of the Lexus slammed into the front of the bus.
Shannon said the two drivers both said they had minor injuries, but neither needed to be taken to the hospital.
The road was snow-covered at the time, he said, and the driver of the Lexus was issued a summons for driving too fast for the conditions.
The driver of this Lexus sport utility vehicle was cited for driving too fast for conditions following this morning’s collision with a school bus on Compo Road South. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
Bedford Assistant Principal Anthony Formato was at the scene, Landon said, to ensure students were safe and did not need help either physically or mentally.
If any students were upset, he said, there would have been social workers available to them at school.
“The kids really took it in stride,” Landon said. “Had they been upset, we would have had people for them to talk to.”
The parents of all of the students were notified about the accident, he said, and none of them left school once they arrived at 8:45 a.m., which was 45 minutes after school opened for the day.
Sandra Evangelista, the district’s transportation director, was also at the scene and worked with Dattco Bus Company.
“Dattco was wonderful,” Landon said. “They notified us immediately about what had happened.”
The district has procedures in place in case of a bus accident, Landon said, and everyone did what they needed to do under those procedures.
