By Kimberly Hopson
L’Observateur

RESERVE – A St. John the Baptist Parish public school bus was involved in an accident with a red Chevy Aveo passenger car at the intersection of East 13th Street and Louisiana Highway 44 during a minor incident in Reserve on Tuesday afternoon.
The damage to the passenger vehicle included a scuffed, dented right rear bumper and a chipped gas door latch.
Louisiana State Police representatives said although all 19 students aboard the bus were taken to River Parishes Hospital as a precaution, there were no injuries. The students must be cleared by the hospital staff as part of procedure.
Authorities had yet to complete initial reports, but witnesses on the scene speculated that the bus driver may have been at fault in the accident. State police representatives said that based on the information collected thus far, the red passenger vehicle was traveling west on Louisiana Highway 44 while the school bus was stopped at the stop sign.   
The bus driver not see the car coming and proceeded to turn at the intersection, right into the path of the car. To avoid the bus, the car swerved to the left. As a result, the front bumper of the bus hit the right rear of the car, causing the damage.
State police representatives said that the bus allegedly did not stop long enough at the stop sign.   
As of press time, the official accident report was still unavailable. St. John Parish school district representatives could not be reached for further comment.