Enfield police responded to a collision between a car and school bus on Route 4 near Dunkin' Donuts on April 4, 2016. Four students and one driver were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. (Courtesy Enfield Police)
Enfield police responded to a collision between a car and school bus on Route 4 near Dunkin' Donuts on April 4, 2016. Four students and one driver were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. (Courtesy Enfield Police) Credit: Courtesy Enfield Police

 

Enfield — Police said four children and one woman were taken to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center with minor injuries after a school bus collided with a sedan Monday morning on Route 4.

Enfield police Chief Richard Crate Jr. said the crash occurred as a woman stopped her sedan and turned on its directional signal to turn right into a Dunkin’ Donuts parking lot. The school bus driver didn’t see the car in time and hit it, Crate said.

First responders from Enfield, Lebanon and Canaan responded to the crash around 7:30 a.m., according to a police news release. Four children, as well as the driver of the sedan, were taken to DHMC.

Students with no signs of injuries were taken to the Indian River School, where the school nurse and EMTs evaluated each child before the school day.

It’s standard policy for all students involved in a bus accident to go to the school nurse, said Patrick Andrew, superintendent of Mascoma Valley Regional School District. Often, students might be shy in front of first responders and feel more comfortable talking to a familiar face about the incident, he said.

Andrew said the district contracts with White River Junction-based First Student for its bus services. He said the bus was carrying about 25 students. Four of them were en route to Mascoma Valley Regional High School, while the remaining children were Indian River School students.

Crate said Route 4 was blocked for a short time after the accident, but he and two firefighters worked to contain the scene to one lane until the road was cleared around 8:20 a.m.

Crate declined to release the names of the drivers and said the accident still is under investigation. Enfield police were assisted at the scene by Canaan and Grafton police, as well as New Hampshire State Police.

Correction

Patrick Andrew is the superintendent of Mascoma Valley Regional School District. His last name was incorrect in an earlier version of this story.