Students escape injuries in school bus crash

This morning at 8:18 AM, the Florida Highway Patrol reported to Historic City News that three St Johns County students 14-year-old Monique Cohen, 15-year-old Alverso Knight, and 15-year-old Dejon Fuller, all of Elkton, escaped injuries when the school bus they were riding in collided with a 2007 Ford E250 van that was traveling south in the outside lane of SR-207.

The St. Johns County school bus, driven by 69-year-old Linda Fox of St Augustine, was stopped facing west on Armstrong Road. It crossed northbound SR-207 traffic lanes, and stopped again in the center median. When the driver attempted to cross southbound traffic lanes, she failed to see the approaching Ford van.

The driver of the Ford, 31-yeaar-old Justin Williamson of Interlachen, attempted to steer right to avoid a collision but was unsuccessful. The front right side of the school bus and the driver’s door of the van collided.

The bus came to a final rest, facing southeast in the center grass median. Estimated damages were placed at about $20,000. The Ford van came to final rest facing west in the eastbound lane of Don Manuel Road. Damages to the Ford were estimated at about $25,000.

The school bus driver sustained serious injuries and was ground transported to Flagler hospital.

Williamson, the driver of the Ford van, sustained serious injuries and was flown by Trauma 1 to Halifax Hospital in Daytona Beach. The passenger of the Ford van, 24-year-old Amber Middleton of Satsuma, was ground transported to Flagler Hospital in St Augustine with minor injuries.

Fox was cited with a violation of 316.123(2)(a) FS, Failure to yield at stop intersection.