School bus involved in accident

Idaho State Police and the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office are investigating a two-vehicle injury crash which occurred Friday at approximately 3:40 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 54 and Clagstone Road.

According to an ISP press release, a 2005 International school bus driven by a 38-year-old woman from Spirit Lake was traveling southbound on Clagstone Road and failed to yield to through traffic on Highway 54 from a stop sign. The bus collided with a 2003 Honda Civic traveling eastbound on Highway 54 driven by a 47-year-old man from Spirit Lake. 

After the collision, both vehicles came to rest on the south side of Highway 54 and the bus impacted a Kootenai Electric power pole, which then became supported by the bus.

The bus, belonging to Lakeland Joint School District 272, was occupied by 31 students from Athol Elementary School. One student was reported to have a cut lip and no other injuries were reported for any of the bus’s occupants. The bus’s occupants were checked for injuries by Kootenai County EMS at the scene, loaded onto another school bus and transported to Real Life Ministries, where they were released to parents.

The driver and sole occupant of the Honda was not wearing his seat belt and was transported by ground ambulance to Kootenai Health for injuries, according to the press release.

Traffic on Clagstone Road was blocked for approximately two-and-a-half hours to allow emergency responders to assist those involved.