PORT ANGELES — A girl in elementary school and two adults were transported to Olympic Medical Center on Tuesday afternoon with minor injuries after a four-door sedan collided with a special-needs school bus at 10th and Peabody streets in Port Angeles, police said.
Authorities said the car driver allegedly sped through a stop sign.
Five children were on the Port Angeles School District bus for Jefferson and Franklin elementary schools, which almost tipped over, Port Angeles Fire Department Capt. Jamie Mason and Assistant Police Chief Jason Viada said.
The fire department received the emergency call about the collision at 2:01 p.m., Mason said.
“I did not see anything real bad,” Mason said. “[The girl] was alert and talking to us. She was just transported out of caution.”
Viada said in an email that the girl, who was not identified, had a possible concussion.
Mark Almaden, 39, of Port Angeles was the driver of the four-door 2004 silver Hyundai.
Almaden suffered a possible head injury, Viada said.
Viada said Almaden’s female passenger, who was not identified, was transported to OMC with a possible leg injury.
Viada said he did not have more information on the conditions of the girl and two adults.
Almaden is under investigation for alleged failure to stop at a stop sign, negligent driving, reckless driving and vehicular assault, Viada said in an email.
“The investigation to determine which laws were broken is ongoing,” he said.
Viada said in an email that, according to a witness, Almaden was speeding westbound on 10th Street when he ignored a stop sign and hit the school bus.
The bus driver was traveling northbound on Peabody at 10th Street, where there is no stop sign for northbound drivers, when it was broadsided by the vehicle, Viada and Mason said.
Viada said the bus rotated almost 180 degrees and came to rest north of the intersection.
“The bus driver, he thought it was going over, and it ended up not,” Mason said.
“It was a pretty good impact on the right side of the bus.”
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
