03:27 PM PST on Monday, November 8, 2004

By ABE ESTIMADA, kgw.com Staff

VANCOUVER, Wash. – Thick fog on Monday morning may have contributed to a traffic crash involving a school bus.

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Three people were transported to Southwest Washington Medical Center in Vancouver for treatment of minor injuries, according to the Washington State Patrol.

A 2005 Ford Escape sport utility vehicle triggered the accident, WSP said. The SUV, driven by Deltarose V. Ellison, 39, of Vancouver, was traveling eastbound on NE 18th Street in the fog about 7:30 a.m.

Ellison told WSP traffic investigators that she saw the 1991 Ford school bus “at the last second” stopped in front of Evergreen High School’s parking lot. The bus was waiting for another school bus to turn left into the parking lot. The SUV rear-ended the bus, despite Ellison hitting the brakes.

Ellison was ticketed for speeding too fast for conditions. The SUV sustained “massive front end damage,” WSP said.

The driver of the bus, Christine J. Belcher, 63, suffered a minor neck injury. Susan B. Perry, 49, of Woodland, Wash., was a passenger on the bus and suffered a slight head injury.

James D. Boltz, 12, of Vancouver and also a passenger on the bus, suffered a minor back injury. Belcher, Perry and James were transported to the hospital by ambulance for medical treatment.

Jake M. Hunt, 11, also from Vancouver and a passenger, was not hurt.

Everyone on the bus was wearing seatbelts.