3 Students Hit By School Bus, Witnesses Share Details
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - Charges against the school bus driver who struck three children in Jefferson County Tuesday afternoon may be filed Wednesday depending on the progress of the investigation.
The driver has been identified as David Shaw, 43, from Littleton.
The incident happened just after 3 p.m. Tuesday near South Simms and West Cross Avenue in unincorporated Jefferson County. Southbound Simms at Brandt Place had to be closed for the investigation.
"We were crossing because we had clicked the button and it was our turn to walk and I was ahead of all my friends and then the three girls that got hit were in the middle," said one student.
Jacki Kelley with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said all three of the children were conscious and breathing. They were taken to St. Anthony Hospital.
One woman was waiting at the light to turn left when she saw the accident happen in front of her.
"Put my car in park and ran out and said, 'Oh my God, lay down, pleased do not get up and move. You guys need to stay still,'" said witness Tammy Basile. "I'm pretty sure one of them has a concussion because it took her a while to remember her mom's cell phone number."
Basile said then she called the mother of one student to tell her what happened.
"I just said, 'My name is Tammy Basile. Please don't be alarmed with what I'm about to tell you,'" said Basile.
Another student said it was her friends who were injured.
"I saw the bus out of the corner of my eye and I jumped forward and I missed the bus by 5 inches," the student told CBS4's Valerie Castro. "All I heard was a scream and I turned around and both of them were on the ground and one of them was crying. The other one jumped up and got really mad."
All three are students at Summit Ridge Middle School.
Jefferson County Public Schools told CBS4 the bus was being driven by a substitute driver. No children were on the bus. The driver has been put on paid administrative leave while the investigation continues.
Teenage witnesses said the bus driver never got off the bus after the accident. Instead, the driver used the radio for help.
Colorado State Patrol was on the scene and is handling the investigation.
