COACHELLA – A school bus driver lost her life on Friday as a result of a crash with another school bus.
The 42-year-old Coachella woman was driving a 2003 International school bus with 35 student passengers just before 6:28 a.m. The driver later identified as Oralia Gutierrez Lopez, was driving slowly in the parking lot of Coachella Valley High School when she struck the back of a parked 2006 Thomas school bus occupied by bus driver, Francisco Becerra, 38, of Indio. CHP officials said that the collision was a result of an unknown medical emergency, causing the female driver to become unconscious.
The woman was transported by the American Medical Response to John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital where she died as a result of her injuries. No students were injured as a result of the collision. Becerra did not sustain any injuries. Both buses sustained only minor damage. The collision remains under investigation, alcohol and drugs do not appear to be a factor in the collision.
