Car crashes into school bus in downtown Modesto

A Modesto City Schools bus carrying 59 high school students was broadsided by a car that ran a red light in downtown Modesto on Tuesday afternoon, authorities say.

The school bus was traveling west on H Street approaching the Highway 99 onramp in a caravan of six other buses when the collision occurred about 2:30 p.m., according to California Highway Patrol officer Chuck Leon.

A Toyota Prius traveling north on Sixth Street ran a red light and hit the left rear side of the bus as it went through the intersection, Leon said.

The impact sent the Prius back in the direction from which it came and into a traffic light pole on the southeast corner of the intersection.

The driver, 64-year-old Lawrence Collins of Elk Grove, suffered a bloody nose but was not taken to the hospital.

None of the students on the bus or the driver was injured, but the bus was disabled. Leon said another bus was sent to the scene to pick up the students.

Drugs and alcohol are not suspected to have been factors in the collision.

This story was originally published November 25, 2014 at 5:39 PM with the headline "Car crashes into school bus in downtown Modesto."