School bus accident yields two minor injuries

By LIZ STOEVER

A school bus on its way to Huntley Middle School, 821 S. Seventh St., collided with another vehicle at 7:19 a.m. yesterday.

The bus driver, Regina T. Begovich, 57, of DeKalb, was headed south on Annie Glidden Road, when she moved into the right turning lane to make a U-turn, police say. Christopher Watson, 34, of DeKalb, who was driving a black Ford pickup truck, was headed south on Annie Glidden Road when he struck the bus in front of him as it was making the U-turn, said Sergeant James McDougall of the DeKalb Police Department.

Watson thought the bus was just merging into the other lane, McDougall said.

McDougall said two children were passengers on the bus during the accident but were not injured and were later picked up at the scene by their parents.

The parents arrived at the scene and transferred their students to school after determining they were not injured, said Russ Fletcher, DeKalb School District 428 school/community relations specialist.

The bus driver who is not an employee of District 428, is an employee of First Student, the company the district contracted with to provide transportation for their service.

“Safety is a primary ongoing concern for DeKalb School District 428,” Fletcher said.

Both Begovich and Watson were injured from the crash. Watson was taken to the hospital. He was then treated and released, according to hospital officials.

Begovich, who suffered minor injuries was checked and released at the scene. Both drivers received tickets for the accident.

Begovich received a ticket for an improper turn and Watson received a ticket for no proof of insurance.

Northbound Annie Glidden Road was blocked for 45 minutes after the accident.

City Editor Jessica Sabbah contributed to this article.