Chain-reaction crash involved school bus with 44 children on board in Richfield

RICHFIELD -- A chain-reaction crash involving a school bus in Richfield Monday morning, April 8 sent four children to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

It happened around 8:30 a.m. on Hillside Road at Elmwood Road in Richfield.

A preliminary investigation revealed a 23-year-old woman in a vehicle headed southbound on Hillside Road failed to stop for a stop sign at Elmwood Road and struck an SUV headed eastbound, being driven  by a 50-year-old Richfield man.

The impact forced the SUV into the path of the school bus that was on Hillside Road, approaching the four-way controlled intersection.

The Riteway Bus Service school bus was driven by a 56-year-old Town of Farmington woman. The bus sustained only minor front end damage.

The bus contained 44 children en route to Amy Belle Elementary School in Colgate. Germantown School District staff responded to the scene and assisted with parental notifications.

While the crash remained under investigation, officials said neither drugs nor alcohol appeared to be contributing factors.