Morning accidents involve school bus, train

A pair of unrelated accidents in Salt Lake City, one involving a school bus and the other a train carrying hazardous materials, left one woman in serious to critical condition Tuesday and at least three others with minor injuries.

About 6:40 a.m., a bus from the Salt Lake School District was making a left turn at the intersection of 1700 South and Redwood Road and hit a female pedestrian.

"She just didn't see the pedestrian," said district spokesman Jason Olsen who noted the bus driver was very shaken by the incident.

The woman, in her 30s, had the right of way, said Salt Lake police detective Dennis McGowan. "She's in serious to critical condition with head trauma," he said.

The woman was with a second female pedestrian who was not injured. There were no initial signs of drug or alcohol use by the bus driver, McGowan said. She was placed on standard administrative leave pending an investigation and given a drug test, said Olsen, as is protocol in all accidents.

The district was able to call an extra driver and use another bus to pick up the high school students on the damaged bus' route, he said.

Just down the road from that accident, in a separate crash just after 5 a.m., an SUV collided with a train at 1771 S. 900 West.

For an unknown reason, the SUV ran into the slow moving train, said McGowan. A man and wife, both in their early '40s, and their 5-year-old son were transported to area hospitals in fair conditions, he said.

The tanker car that was hit was carrying hazardous materials, but there was no leaking due to the collision. The railroad crossing where the accident happened has a yield sign but no other warnings.

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