Car Hits Newport School Bus; Kids, Driver Unhurt

Two children and a school bus driver escaped injury when their vehicle was rear-ended by a car at a traffic light in Newport Beach about noon Friday, police said.

The driver of the Mercedes-Benz convertible was taken to Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian with minor injuries, police said. The car apparently hit the bus, which was stopped for the light on Superior Avenue at Ticonderoga Street, said Officer Denise Medina of the California Highway Patrol.

Police escorted the two elementary school children--the only passengers on the bus--to a firetruck that responded to the accident. They waited there until another bus arrived, authorities said.

The bus is part of Newport-Mesa Unified School District’s fleet. District officials would not say what school the children attend or where they were heading. The CHP, which handles all accidents involving school buses, is investigating, officials said.