Students were being evaluated for injuries Monday morning at Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary after a school bus rolled into another bus during the morning drop-off, said Julie Popp, spokeswoman for Durango School District 9-R.
The accident happened about 7:30 a.m. in the loading and unloading zone on school property, she said. The driver, Natalie Douglas, 25, apparently didn’t set an emergency brake, allowing the bus to roll into the bus parked in front of her, which was driven by her mother, Melanie Douglas.
Popp said five students were transported for further medical evaluation, all with nonlife-threatening injuries. As a precautionary measure, one of the five students was taken to a medical provider by concerned parents for exhibiting signs related to a concussion, because she has previously suffered a concussion in a separate incident off school property. Popp said it was unrelated to Monday morning’s fender bender.
Popp said just over 40 students were aboard both buses and included students from Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary, Durango High School, Escalante Middle School and Mountain Middle School. Twenty-six students were evaluated on site.
“(Douglas) pulled into the school bus loop behind the other bus and stopped,” said Jonathan Silver, a trooper with the Colorado State Patrol. “She thought she put it in gear, a child stepped up front needing a band-aid, she got up to help the child and the bus rolled forward and struck the bus that was parked in front of it.
“With the low speed and rolling impact, I don’t see there being a lot of energy in that type of collision to result in serious injuries.”
Silver said the accident was preventable but the Colorado State Patrol decided against citing Natalie Douglas.
In accordance with protocol, both drivers were immediately taken from the scene for drug and alcohol testing, but those were determined not to be a factor in the incident, Silver said.
It remains unclear how long Natalie Douglas has worked as a driver with Durango School District 9-R, and if she faces any ramifications from the school district. She did not drive her usual route Monday afternoon, Popp said, and has been placed on paid administrative leave until the school district completes an internal investigation.
Damage to the buses was minor.
The accident comes less than a month after a Durango School District 9-R bus carrying 42 students did a complete roll down a 30- to 40-foot embankment on Lightner Creek Road (County Road 207) injuring 16 students.
The driver was distracted by students screaming in the back of the bus when he drove off the road, authorities said.
jpace@durangoherald.com
