DATE: Thursday, April 10, 1997              TAG: 9704100427

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B11  EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS 

DATELINE: SANDSTON                          LENGTH:   31 lines

7 INJURED AFTER CAR HITS BUS, SKIDS INTO STUDENTS

Six children and one adult were injured Wednesday when a car hit a school bus, flipped and then skidded on its side into a group of waiting students, police said.

None of the injuries was life-threatening, police said.

Seven students, the driver and an aide were taking a special education bus to Seven Pines Elementary School when the crash occurred about 7:40 a.m., said Henrico County police officer R.J. Smith.

A 9-year-old and an 11-year-old on the bus were injured in the accident, said Sgt. Bob Loving. A 14-year-old boy who was waiting for another bus was hit by the car and two 12-year-old girls were hit by flying debris. All were treated at local hospitals and released.

The car caused the crash when it failed to yield, Smith said.

The impact knocked the school bus onto its side and into a ditch, he said.

The driver of the car, Rosette P. Atkins of Sandston, was charged with reckless driving, not wearing a seat belt and not having insurance, said Loving.

Atkins, 30, was treated at MCV and released, but her 6-year-old daughter, Joy, was still being treated for head injuries Wednesday afternoon, Loving said.

Atkins is scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing on May 20. KEYWORDS: ACCIDENT TRAFFIC INJURIES

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