Video appears to show vehicle T-boned by school bus at red light

Three students were on a school bus that ran allegedly a red light, colliding with an SUV passing through an intersection on June 19.

The driver of the SUV, Mounish Katragadda, said he was headed southbound on Wellington Avenue when the incident took place.

“Right when I approached the intersection, the light turned yellow and I could safely clear the intersection,” said Katragadda. “That’s when a bus travelling eastbound on College Avenue ran a solid red light and T-boned us.”

“The car spun 180 degrees and one side almost lifted off the ground as if we were going to roll over. But instead, we hit a utility pole and came to a stop.”

Right after the vehicles came to a complete stop, the light for east and west bound traffic turned green.

The students, from Assumption College Catholic Middle School, were not hurt. In a statement to CTV Windsor, the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board confirmed police called parents to pick up their children. But, the occupants in the SUV said they were injured.

“The bus hit right where my wife was sitting,” Katragadda said. “She is suffering from a concussion and severe neck and back pain with visible bruises on her forehead.”

His wife is visiting from India and was supposed to catch a flight later on in the day for work. The flight was rescheduled to allow her to recover. Katragadda said there’s possibility his wife will have to resign from her current job.

“My brother, who was the front passenger, suffered bruising and burn marks from the airbag deploying, along with neck pain,” he said.

Katragadda said he also had severe neck and shoulder pain due to whiplash.

First Student, the bus line that owns the bus involved, said safety is a top priority and it is conducting its own internal review.

“The driver involved has been placed on administrative leave,” said Brenna Rudisill, proposal manager and communications specialist with First Student. “Our thoughts are with all who were affected.”

Rudisill said due to the ongoing investigation, no further comment can be provided.