Los Lunas

A two-vehicle collision occurred just before 9 a.m. Thursday at the intersection of NM 6 and 314 as a truck hit a Los Lunas school bus.

Bus driver Ramona Davidson was on her way back to the school district’s bus yard when the accident took place, said Sergeant Glenn Trujillo of the New Mexico State Police.

The driver of the truck, Josephine Torres, 72, of Albuquerque, was northbound on NM 314.

“All indications point to Davidson … turning left onto 314 from State Road 6 when Torres’s truck ran the red light and struck the bus on the left side,” Trujillo said.

“It was a pretty hectic situation. There were no students on the bus. That’s one of our biggest concerns … the welfare of the kids.”

There were no serious injuries involved, and both women were transported to University of New Mexico Hospital. Trujillo said the driver of the truck will be issued a citation.

“What a way to end the year,” said Ross Coleman, transportation supervisor for the Los Lunas Schools. “Thank goodness there were no students on board and none of our kids were injured. That’s the best thing.”

The whole intersection was tied up in heavy traffic, and the Los Lunas Police Department assisted with controlling cars backed up in all directions.

While the truck suffered heavy front-end damage, Coleman says the bus showed little sign of being involved in an accident. “These buses are built to take that kind of impact,” Coleman said.

Coleman says the bus driver, who has more than 18 years of experience, probably won’t return to the job for the remainder of the school year.

The incident Thursday comes just days after Superintendent Danny Burnett commented on how the number of bus accidents in the district has gone down.

“Four years ago, I used to receive hundred of calls regarding transportation. There were maybe four last year,” Burnett said at the Los Lunas School Board meeting Tuesday night. “Last year, there was just one accident.”

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Jennifer Harmon