School bus bursts into flames after crash

Two people were injured Tuesday morning after a man slammed into a school bus holding dozens of students.

The collision on the 900 block of Green Valley Road north of Casserly Road at 7:30am caused the bus to burst into flames.

The driver, a 28-year-old male from Freedom, suffered minor injuries and was taken to Natividad Medical Center. He was handcuffed by police and was making possible suicidal statements, police said.

One student, a 13-year-old female, also suffered minor injuries and was taken to Watsonville Community Hospital, the California Highway Patrol reported.

Witness Michele Bowling said she saw the suspect walking around the terrified students, waving his arms, acting erratically and screaming to “call the police.” later, Bowling said, she saw police handcuffing him.

The bus held 43 students from Aptos Junior and High schools.

Witnesses said they heard the collision and then saw bus driver Amy Gutierrez usher the kids safely off of the bus.

Anastacia Alba said she was asleep when she heard a screech and a boom, and went outside to see flames she thought were high enough to get into the trees above.

“The bus driver did an amazing job,” she said. “She stayed calm, she got the kids off the bus.”

Gutierrez said she has been driving for about one year.

“I saw him driving like 60 miles per hour coming toward me,” Gutierrez said. “I tried to swerve. I pulled the brake, and I hoped he would just hit the corner of the bus.

But the gray Kia 4-door sedan plowed head-into the bus, police said.

The incident is still under investigation. Alcohol and drugs are not thought to be a factor in the crash, CHP spokesman Israel Murillo said.

Pajaro Valley Unified School District spokeswoman Alicia Jimenez said that counseling services are available for those who need them.

This story has been updated from a previous version.