Pioneer Press
St. Paul Pioneer Press
Copyright 2008 St. Paul Pioneer Press
FARIBAULT, Minn. — Seven people were injured today when a school bus and car collided head-on while traveling on slushy roads near Faribault.
Around 7:45 a.m., a car driving east on County Road 13 just west of Faribault lost control, crossed the median and hit a school bus head-on, said Sgt. Barry Hendrickson of the Rice County Sheriff’s Department.
The bus driver tried to avoid the car and veered right, but the bus went into a ditch.
The bus was carrying 24 students ranging in age from preschool to senior high from the Morristown-Waterville-Elysian School District. Six children reported minor injuries and were taken to area hospitals. The driver of the car, Amy Mahlman, 25, was taken by ambulance to Rice County District 1 Hospital in Faribault, Hendrickson said. The bus driver did not report any injuries.
It does not appear speed, alcohol or drugs were a factor in the crash, Hendrickson said.
Faribault is about 50 miles south of the Twin Cities.