ERIE, Colo. (KDVR) — The 13-year-old girl who was behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Suburban when she crashed into a Boulder County school bus, was cited on Friday morning.
“There was a burgundy Chevy SUV that was wobbling and clearly had a tire blow out,” said Joseph Granda, who witnessed the crash.
Granda said he was driving his 10-year-old daughter to school when they noticed the Suburban, which Colorado State Patrol said a 13-year-old was driving, was out of control.
“I was thinking, OK, either a DUI or a medical emergency,” Granda said.
He said once they started noticing parts of the tire blowing off and smoke, Granda put on his hazard lights and slowed down. He said other drivers around him followed suit.
“I assumed they would pull over, but they didn’t. They sped up toward the school and kept going blowing out pieces of tire,” Granda said.
Granda did call 911. He said the dispatcher on the other line mentioned they had several calls from people reporting the driving of the Suburban.
“‘Cause even sometimes kids do stupid and bad things of good parents,” Granda said.
Teen driver causes chain reaction crash
He said as they drove over the hill toward Lookout Road on U.S. 287, that’s when the Suburban crashed into the school bus. Other vehicles were also involved in the crash.
“The gentleman in the black car climbed out and he was bloody. He must have hit the windshield or something,” Granda said.
Four people, including the 13-year-old, were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, according to CSP.
“I hope the child is safe and looked after and this is a lesson for the family,” Granda said.
CSP said the teen driver hit another car and caused a chain reaction, eventually crashing into the Boulder Valley School District bus. The driver and one student were on the bus during the crash. The student on the bus was not hurt.
CSP couldn’t confirm if the parents of the 13-year-old will be cited. They said drugs and alcohol are not considered factors in the crash.