School Bus Hits Vehicle

FARMINGTON — According to witness statements, a school bus apparently ran a stop sign at the intersection of Vine and Locust streets Monday afternoon and hit a gold Toyota Camry driven by Dora Tabor of Farmington, said Cpl. Jerry Bowen with the Farmington Police Department.

Bowen said the accident occurred at 3: 35 p.m. Monday. The school bus, driven by Carl Schafer, had stopped near the stop sign to let off a child and then proceeded through the intersection traveling east on Vine Street, Bowen said. Tabor was traveling south on Locust. The bus struck the vehicle’s passenger side.

About eight children were on the bus at the time of the accident. No one was injured and Bowen said he did not issue any citations. The plastic walk gate on the front of the bus was broken in the accident.

On Tuesday, Jim Hendricks, Farmington’s transportation director, said the district’s policy is to allow the police department to investigate the accident. He said the eight children were loaded onto another bus with a different bus driver but that Schafer, who is 76 years old, rode on the bus to help the children get home. Schafer then was taken to a lab in Fayetteville for urine and alcohol tests as required by state law.

Hendricks said the alcohol results came back negative. He had not received the results of the other test.

Hendricks said he believes that Schafer probably did not see the Camry.

“If you are sitting in a bus seat, you’d be surprised at the blind spot because of the two big mirrors,” Hendricks said. “It’s pretty tough.”

Schafer was back on the job Tuesday morning to drive his bus route, Hendricks said.