Turlock school bus driver hits woman in crosswalk while making a left turn, CHP says
A Turlock Unified School District bus driver hit a woman Monday as she was in a crosswalk and the driver was attempting to make a left turn, according to the CHP’s preliminary investigation of the 11:27 a.m. accident.
A Turlock police spokeswoman said the woman was alert and conscious when police officers arrived. CHP Officer Tom Olsen said the woman was taken by ambulance to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto.
Olsen said no one else was injured.
The accident happened at the T-intersection of North Olive Avenue and North Avenue. Olsen said the driver was eastbound in a 2005 Thomas school bus on North Avenue and attempted to make a left turn with a green light onto North Olive as the woman was in the crosswalk.
Olsen said about 40 students were on the bus. They were from Crowell Elementary School.
Olsen said the woman was in the crosswalk in a lawful manner and the bus driver had to yield to her until it was safe to proceed.
“Our preliminary investigation (indicates) he failed to see the pedestrian in the crosswalk and the left front of the bus struck the pedestrian at a low rate of speed,” Olson said, adding the impact knocked the woman to the ground.
He identified the bus driver as Edwin Bettencourt, 62, of Hilmar and the woman as Aubelia Rivera-Zamora, 62, of Salem, Ore. A DMC spokeswoman did not respond to an email requesting an update on the woman’s condition.
Turlock Unified School District spokeswoman Marie Russell said in a statement that the bus was taking Crowell students and staff to California State University, Stanislaus, for a study trip.
“All students and staff on board the bus returned back to Crowell,” according to the statement. “Parents of (children on) the bus involved in this incident were contacted via ParentSquare. Site administration will be following up with any students or staff expressing concerns. Counselors are also available on site for anyone needing support.”
Russell said in an email that the school bus driver has been with TUSD for nearly eight years and has been a licensed school bus driver for 11 years.
“The driver has been removed from driving duties pending the outcome of this investigation and post-accident drug and alcohol testing,” Russell said. “Safety is of paramount importance in TUSD, and the District will review our training and safety protocols in the hopes of preventing future accidents such as this.”
Olsen said the CHP investigates all school bus accidents regardless of the jurisdiction if there are any injuries or students on the bus. He said Bettencourt was not cited, adding that could come at the conclusion of the investigation and based on the officer’s discretion.
Olsen said it typically takes a week to complete these investigations.
He said two students reported hitting their heads against the cushion in the back of the seat in front of them when the driver braked. He said they were checked at the scene and returned to school with their classmates.
