The Cheyenne Police Department on Friday was investigating an incident in which a vehicle collided with a school bus on Thursday afternoon.
According to CPD spokeswoman Alex Farkas, the preliminary investigation shows that the driver of a Ford Explorer drove through a red light and the car collided with a school bus traveling the intersection.
Three Laramie County School District No. 1 students, a transportation assistant and the bus driver were on the bus at the time of the incident.
“Our drivers and TAs go through hours of training, so they are prepared for these types of situations,” LCSD1 spokeswoman Mary Quast said Friday. “In this instance, the training really paid off. All protocols were followed, and students remained safe. Parents were notified as soon as students were taken care of and determined to be uninjured.”
Both the drivers assisted officers with the investigation on Thursday, but both sustained minor injuries from the crash and were ultimately taken to Cheyenne Regional Medical Center for treatment. The students and TA were not injured.
Farkas did not comment to Cowboy State Daily on Friday about the status of either driver, but Quast said the bus driver was “doing well.”
“We are thankful that our students are safe and we hope that the driver of the other vehicle is okay,” Quast said.
Farkas told Cowboy State Daily on Friday that the department always encourages drivers to keep safety at the top of their mind, not only around school buses, but any time they are behind the wheel.
“Slow down, stay alert and remember that if your attention is anywhere other than the road, you’re driving distracted, and that puts you and others on the roadway at risk,” she said.