FARMINGTON – No one was injured when a car struck the back of a partially loaded bus bound for Mallett School Thursday morning. The bus received about $5,000 in damages and was towed from the scene.

The 1991 Pontiac sedan operated by Elayne Ladd of Avon had about $2,500 in damage and was driven away after the police report was completed, police Sgt. Peter Barton stated in a release.

SAD 9 bus driver Jeannette Palumbaro of Farmington was heading south on Town Farm Road and had just made a stop to pick up children, Barton stated, then was moving to the right shoulder to allow Ladd to pass.

That’s when Ladd “was blinded by the sunlight” and ran into the rear of the bus, Barton stated.

Paramedics checked out the kids, said SAD 9 Transportation Director David Leavitt.

“The kids honestly didn’t know what happened,” Leavitt said. “They had to ask the bus driver.”

The 22 schoolchildren were still on the bus when Leavitt arrived, he said.

Names of students were taken down and where they sat on the bus was noted, he said, in case of future litigation.

Another bus was brought to the site to take the children to school.

No one was injured, Leavitt said, and the bus hadn’t made it to larger pick up stops along the route.

The 84-passenger 1992 Bluebird, which has its engine in the rear of the bus, had damage to the radiator, hydraulic cooler, fan and hydraulic fan motor and the rear bumper, Leavitt said.

The hydraulic fan actually broke off and crinkled the radiator, he said. The radiator is 4-feet by 4-feet and costs “well over a $1,000.”

It’s an inconvenience, Leavitt said. The bus will be out of service for a few weeks while repairs are being made.

The Fire Rescue Department responded to take care of fluids leaking from the bus.

Barton was assisted in the investigation by officer Christopher Chase.

“There are no charges pending in the mishap,” Barton said.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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