A woman was in critical condition Friday morning after being hit by a school bus close to Palmdale. She was rushed to hospital shortly after the accident.
The California Highway Patrol Groups say the crash took place between the school bus and a pedestrian about 6:09 a.m. near the intersection of Pearlblossom Highway and 123rd Street East in an unincorporated area of Southeast Antelope Valley.
The victim was a 23-year-old woman, and not a student as initially indicated in the California Highway Patrol log.
The initial plan of the responding authorities was to airlift the victim to a local hospital but weather issues did not permit such a plan from being materialized, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The still unidentified woman was then taken to the hospital via an ambulance. She remains in critical condition.
Around 11 high school students were reported to be onboard the bus when the crash happened. One of the students reported by the local media only as Damian was sitting in the front seat when the accident occurred. The student who witnessed when the crash exactly took place said the bus driver, presumably a lady based from the student’s description, made the corner and the victim was about five feet away. Damian added: “She ( bus driver) hit her and rolled under the bus.”
Another student-witness named Emily said she saw how the bus driver reacted when she realized that she hit a woman. Emily said:”When he hit her, she started crying… she pulled the bus over.”
The authorities have yet to give the specific cause of the accident and the case is under investigation. It is also not clear yet if the bus driver will face any charges for the accident, and the injuries caused to the victim.
It is also not yet clear what adjustments the school will likely take to prevent similar instances from happening again that could also put at risk the lives and safety of the young student-riders.
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