Passengers unharmed in school bus accident
By Sarah Leavenworth / Leader staff
POLSON — Road conditions were a factor in a school bus accident on Hwy. 93 Monday, according to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Law and Order Department.
Police chief Craige Couture reported that a south-bound Two Eagle school bus carrying an unknown number of passengers rear-ended a vehicle on Hwy. 93 near Jolly Pack Rat Second Hand and Pawn between Polson and Pablo.
Couture said the school bus driver and passengers were uninjured, but the bus caused a chain reaction, pushing one vehicle into a second south-bound vehicle.
Minor injuries were sustained by the occupants of the two vehicles, who were taken to the hospital following the accident, Couture said.
Wet and slippery road conditions, road spray and limited visibility were factors in the accident, according to Couture.
He said the accident occurred in a 35-mile-per-hour zone, and the rear-end collision was likely the result of a vehicle ahead of the bus slowing to turn off of Hwy. 93.
The vehicle sandwiched between the school bus and the second vehicle sustained considerable damage, he said.
Couture said citations are pending.