Knollwood School bus involved in Wednesday crash, no students injured

Published 12:55 am Thursday, November 16, 2017

SALISBURY — Knollwood Elementary School students were not injured Wednesday when a school bus and a minivan crashed on Grace Church Road.

The bus and minivan collided, sending the van spinning and landing in front of Locke Fire Department at 2220 Grace Church Road, according to Locke Fire Chief Rusty Alexander.

State Highway Patrol Trooper A. Bahadur said there were more than 40 students on the bus, none of whom was injured. The bus driver, Jacqueline Harris Johnson, also was not injured. She was wearing her seat belt.

The driver of the Chrysler Town & Country minivan was Mirna Cedillos Salamanca, 47, of Salisbury. She was charged with failure to stop at a stop sign. She was wearing her seat belt, authorities said.

Rowan County EMS took Salamanca to Novant Health Rowan Medical Center with minor injuries. She was conscious and talking at the scene, Trooper Bahadur said.

He said the bus was traveling east on Grace Church Road at 2:36 p.m. and the minivan was traveling south on Carolyn Road.

Salamanca didn’t stop at the street sign and collided with the bus as it was passing, Bahadur said.

The bus sustained damage to the driver’s side, and the minivan had front-end damage.

Rowan-Salisbury Schools personnel and county bus maintenance personnel were also on the scene. The bus was drivable, the trooper said, but the students were transported by another bus.

Contact reporter Shavonne Walker at 704-797-4253.