The Antelope Valley Times

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7 injured after school bus crash

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Medics from the Sheriff Department’s Special Enforcement Bureau airlifted two people to a trauma center following the crash. [Image courtesy: SEB Twitter.]
Medics from the Sheriff Department’s Special Enforcement Bureau airlifted two people to a trauma center following the crash. [Image courtesy: SEB Twitter.]
LANCASTER  – A crash involving a school bus and another vehicle in Lancaster Friday morning left seven people injured, authorities said.

The crash was reported about 7:45 a.m. on Avenue H at 20th Street East.

Denise Crawford, 53, of Littlerock was driving a school bus westbound on Avenue H, while slowing and preparing to turn left onto southbound 20th Street East, according to a California Highway Patrol report.

She began her left turn directly into the path of a 2001 Honda Accord that was traveling eastbound on Avenue H at approximately 55 to 60 mph, the CHP report states.

The left front of the school bus struck the left side of Honda, according to the CHP report.

The Honda’s driver, 37-year-old Leticia Camacho of Lancaster, and  her 6-year-old female passenger sustained significant injuries and were airlifted to County USC Medical Center, according to the CHP report.

Five juveniles on the school bus, between the ages of 12 and 13,  sustained moderate injuries and were taken to Antelope Valley Hospital for treatment, CHP officials said.

The crash investigation is ongoing.

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Filed Under: Lancaster, Littlerock

24 comments for "7 injured after school bus crash"

  1. Sorry for the double entry… This is my 1st time..

    First and foremost, the fact that there is no loss of life, and hopefully there isn’t, is a good thing. The bad thing here is it appears to be the bus driver’s fault no matter how you spin it. If the bus driver was distracted, especially by cell phone, she will most likely lose her job and be taken to court by all these families for the injuries sustained. The only possibility she has of not being found at fault, is if the other driver was distracted and tried to beat the light. The sun in your eyes at that hour heading eastbound is horrendous. If she was trying to be swift, then that’s the only other possibility. The speed of the bus was low as she may have been entering her turn on a yellow light when the other car tried to beat her. More than likely, it’s the former, not the latter. But, innocent until proven guilty right?

  3. People drives wayyy too fast then dont have time to slow down, This almost happend to me the exact same way, I was turning the same way nd someone refused to stop at a red light nd came inches away from hitting me!!!!!! Lucky I stopped to give her the way since she was already In my way to turn….. I had the green arrow for me to turn wen it happend

    • I agree that most people drive about 70+ mph on the 55 mph limit rural roads in the Antelope Valley. There are a lot of aggressive drivers on the road today and others that use their cell phones while driving, too. Many of these aggressive drivers will blame the innocent driver of causing the accident when they are in one.

      In this case with the school bus driver was that neither of the vehicles had a stop sign or signal light. The school bus driver turned left into oncoming traffic that had no stop sign or signal light. It is clear to see that the school bus driver was at fault.

    • I think you need to read, Speed was not a factor “The left front of the school bus struck the left side of Honda, according to the CHP report” LEFT SIDE of the bus meaning the BUS turned into her. If the Honda hit the BUS it would be on the RIGHT side seeing as how the bus was making a LEFT. Go grab some blocks and play it out and see how dumb you look and everyone else who keeps saying the Honda driver is at fault.

  4. It’s sad, and unexplainable. But someone is at fault. I travel going east on H, and turn South on 20th East, and it is a dangerous sudden turn situation; if someone is following close behind you, makes is extra dangerous.

  5. Sorry Monica didn’t mean to frazzle you in anyway. Like they said it’s under investigation. Have a nice day. And if the Honda had the right of way that goodness her and her child didn’t die. You agree I’m sure.

  6. The bus driver should be charged with reckless endangerment. She made a left turn in front of an oncoming car, traveling within normal speed range. She placed the lives of the children who were placed in her care in jeopardy to save a few seconds. I hope Ms.Camacho and her passenger recover fully and they deserve a nice settlement from the insurance carriers for the bus company/school for employing such a careless driver.

  8. That woman Leticia should go to jail for reckless driving. Especially considering she had her children in her vehicle. I mean, come on… Who wouldn’t see a HUGE YELLOW BUS turning? People are always wanting to drive too fast or they think everyone else should get out of their way. I am sure the driver of that bus had nothing but the genuine concern to get those kids to their destination safely.

    • I absolutely agree with you. People like that don’t want to slow down for anyone including children. They act like they alone own the rode. To many accidents in the Antelope Valley. Due to constant speeding and no regard for anyone else but themselves. Thank goodness nobody died.

      • I forgot to add to my comment that I wonder if the driver of the car was on her cell phone? I’ve seen that a lot lately in the Antelope Valley. Maybe that’s why she didn’t see the BIG YELLOW BUS turning. Then she tried to avoid hitting it. Hmmm, just a thought. Of course you need a warrant to prove she was on her cell phone at the time of impact. I’m hoping the school bus has a camera. We do need our children to get to school SAFELY.

        • I’m sure she saw the bus just before hitting it. The bus made a left turn directly into of the path of the Honda that CHP reports was not speeding. Maybe we need to see if the bus driver was on the phone.

          • The bus driver is the driver of my daughter’s bus, She is always concerned about the kids safety. She is never on her phone while driving. The driver of the car should have been paying attention to other vehicles and slow down.

          • Why should the driver of the car slow down when she was driving the speed limit and had the right of way?

            It is sad that the bus driver had this accident. I am sure she is a wonderful and nice person. And I would agree she probably is an exceptionally safe driver. Stuff like this happens. I bet she probably feels really bad about this.

    • Really, did you not read what happened. I drive westbound everyday the sun is behind me how in the hell you don’t see a vehicle traveling eastbound at 55 mph before you turn in front of it. Seems like the driver of the school bus wasn’t paying attention. The front bumper hit the drivers side. Oh by the way im a school bus driver too and i always pay attention. The driver of the honda clearly had the right of way.

      • You are correct, Monica. I was wondering what these other people were reading and commenting on. The school bus driver turned left into oncoming traffic that had no stop sign. The school bus driver was clearly at fault here.

      • First and foremost, the fact that there is no loss of life, and hopefully there isn’t, is a good thing. The bad thing here is it appears to be the bus driver’s fault no matter how you spin it. If the bus driver was distracted, especially by cell phone, she will most likely lose her job and be taken to court by all these families for the injuries sustained. The only possibility she has of not being found at fault, is if the other driver was distracted and tried to beat the light. The sun in your eyes at that hour heading eastbound is horrendous. If she was trying to be swift, then that’s the only other possibility. The speed of the bus was low as she may have been entering her turn on a yellow light when the other car tried to beat her. More than likely, it’s the former, not the latter. But, innocent until proven guilty right?

        • 20th East and Ave H is a rural intersection with no signal and only a stop sign for North/South traffic. There is also no structures on any corner to block vision, just raw natural desert. The sun in her eyes may have been a factor in avoiding the bus that was unsafely turning across her path.

          Google Street View first, for more informed comments.

          • People always will rush with the speed card even when it says speed was not a factor, people don’t think logically they rush to their own conclusion with no real evidence. We normal thinking people can tell the bus was at fault. Even more so with the fact the left side of the bus was damaged meaning the bus “turned” into the Honda. If the Honda turned into the bus the right side of the bus would be damaged, but you know who cares about facts.

            There are several things that could have caused this, Bus was in a rush, or distracted, the Sun would not be in her eyes unless it came from her mirror as the sun rises from the east sets in the west and the driver was heading west and it was 7:45AM

    • I think you need to read, Speed was not a factor “The left front of the school bus struck the left side of Honda, according to the CHP report” LEFT SIDE of the bus meaning the BUS turned into her. If the Honda hit the BUS it would be on the RIGHT side seeing as how the bus was making a LEFT. Go grab some blocks and play it out and see how dumb you look and everyone else who keeps saying the Honda driver is at fault. Sheesh