Students Unhurt in Bus Crash

At least eight people rushed to the scene of a freakish school bus accident Wednesday in the Jefferson Park area to rescue five developmentally disabled youngsters who were trapped inside the overturned vehicle, two of them in wheelchairs.

None of children were hurt, apparently because--in contrast to general school bus rules--they were strapped to their seats.

“If they hadn’t been strapped in, you’d have seen a lot more hurt kids,” said Levell Dawson, 51, whose car crushed by the bus but who helped in the rescue.

California Highway Patrol officials said the Los Angeles Unified School District bus was westbound along the middle lane of West Adams Boulevard about 2:15 p.m., taking the students home from Joseph Pomeroy Widney High School, a public special education school for disabled students.

For reasons that remained under investigation late Wednesday, the bus veered to the right and drove over Dawson’s parked car and two other autos and then flipped onto its left side.

“All of a sudden I heard the screeching of the brakes and I looked out the window and saw the bus tip over,” said Rich Collins, 28, a security guard who was one of the first to come to the aid of the youths. “You could see the kids hanging from their seat belts.”

Although most buses used by the school district do not have seat belts, all vehicles used to transport disabled children are required to have restraining devices, district officials said.

The three ambulatory students were belted to their seats, according to the CHP. The other two youngsters were strapped into their wheelchairs, which were secured to the bus.

The driver, whose identity was not disclosed, had minor injuries.

Collins said he threw open the emergency door at the back of the bus and climbed inside. Other men, including Dawson, followed and formed an assembly line to carry the youngsters out to a lawn.

Collins and Mickey Lee, 34, had to brace one girl, who was suspended in the air by her seat belt, on their shoulders while others struggled unstrap her.

“She was going crazy, berserk, just screaming,” Lee said as he rubbed his back, which he said he strained trying to help the distraught girl.

The Widney students were examined by paramedics and returned to the school, where they were examined again by the campus nurse, officials said.

“They seem to be OK,” said Widney Principal Jay Davis. “There are no apparent injuries, but it’s hard to tell because most of the kids are nonverbal. I was amazed at the severity of the accident and amazed that no one was injured.”