Herald staff
SNOHOMISH — Four special needs students escaped injury Wednesday when their school bus ran off the road and struck a steel guide wire to a power pole.
The accident knocked out power to traffic lights in the area of Marsh Road and Highway 9 for about 45 minutes, Snohomish County sheriff’s spokeswoman Jan Jorgensen said.
The accident about 7:15 a.m. occurred in the 9900 block of Airport Road near Harvey Field when the bus missed a corner, Jorgensen said. The bus driver overcorrected, and the bus ran off the road. The wire caught on the left front of the bus, knocking power lines down around the bus.
Special needs buses use seat belts and all four students were wearing theirs, said J. Marie Merrifield, Snohomish School District spokeswoman.
The students took another bus to their destination.
The accident caused extensive damage to the bus. Deputies directed traffic until a crew restored power.
The driver of the bus will be cited, although charges had not been determined Wednesday, Jorgensen said. The driver has worked for the district since 1986.
The man apparently was struck by his wife’s vehicle at a home in the 3200 block of State Street near Oak Harbor, Island County sheriff’s officials said. A third party called 911 about 8 a.m. to report the incident and deputies arrived within four minutes, sheriff’s officials said. The man was treated at Whidbey General Hospital and later was released.
The woman fled the scene in the vehicle, which deputies later found abandoned in the area.
Detectives are concerned about the woman’s condition and her safety.
Investigators ask anyone with information about the missing woman to call detective J.D. Burns at 360-678-4422, ext. 5537.
The ban prohibits all outdoor fires in Snohomish, King, Kitsap and Pierce counties. Burning is also not allowed in uncertified fireplaces or wood stoves, unless they are a home’s only source of adequate heat.
The ban is likely to continue through Sunday, the agency said.
Air pollution from wood stoves and fireplaces can pose breathing problems for children, the elderly and those with asthma and cardiopulmonary disease.
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