A van collided with a northbound school bus on Hwy 16 just before school Tuesday morning.
The van, driven by a Skidegate woman, pulled out into the intersection in front of the Gwaii Coop and collided with the school bus driven by Naomi Kaytor. There were no students on the bus as the time of the accident.
"I was driving northbound at about five to eight in the morning and a westbound mini van approached the intersection in front of the Skidegate Firehall. She stopped at the stop sign and then proceeded into the intersection and struck my vehicle," says Ms Kaytor.
The woman was taken to hospital by ambulance and may need to be medivaced to Vancouver. Road conditions, speed and alcohol were not factors in this accident, says Sgt. Darcy Gollan of the Queen Charlotte RCMP.
"It's too bad, and it's a big inconvenience," says Gloria O'Brien of O'Brien Road and Bridge who operate the buses. "We're grateful there were no kids on the bus and the driver is unhurt."
The accident caused a one-hour delay to the high school bus schedule. O'Brien's put a spare bus on the route as soon as they learned of the accident. The spare bus will remain in service until the regular bus can be repaired. There will be no changes to the regular bus schedule, says Ms O'Brien.
The van has $4000 to $5000 damage to the front end, while the bus has $2000 to $3000 damage to the front right fender and wheel, says Sgt. Darcy Gollan. Both vehicles were towed away from the scene.
Police are questioning witnesses to determine the cause of the accident.