School bus carrying about 30 USD students involved in crash

A Vermillion School District bus carrying approximately 30 USD students collided with a vehicle on Tuesday morning.

There were minimal injuries, according to the South Dakota State Highway Patrol. The bus was heading east on Cherry Street at about 9:46 a.m. when a 2005 Cadillac DeVille heading north on Stanford Street ran a stop sign, colliding with the bus.

Denise Poncelet, the 45-year-old driver of the Cadillac DeVille, was wearing her seat belt and suffered minor injuries. She was taken by ambulance to Sanford Health Vermillion.

No school bus passengers were injured.  The Patrol is investigating the crash and charges are pending, said Tony Mangan, a public information officer for the South Dakota State Highway Patrol. Yankton EMS and Vermillion Fire and EMS responded to the scene.

The students were part of a first-year experience class and were taking a tour of the city, according to Tena Haraldson, director of marketing, communications & university relations. The first-year course familiarizes students with Vermillion and USD.

USD Dean of Students Kim Grieve told South Dakota Public Broadcasting that it  seems like all students are doing well. The station reported that at least one student complained of neck pain after the incident.

Grieve could not be reached for further comment on this story.

The crash left the bus with some door windows broken and a large dent.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.