SUV driver's video appears to show school bus running a red light before collision - Action News
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WindsorVideo

SUV driver's video appears to show school bus running a red light before collision

A video provided to the CBC by an SUV driver appears to show a school bus striking his vehicle after running a red light in Windsor, Ont.

Bus driver in Windsor, Ont., put on administrative leave, students weren't injured

Video shows school bus running red light before collision

3 months ago
Duration 0:24
Mounish Katragadda, the driver of an SUV that was in a collision with a school bus in west Windsor last week, shared dash cam video of the crash with CBC.

A school bus carrying three students ran a red light before crashing into an SUVata Windsor, Ont., intersectionlast week, a video provided by the SUV driver appears to show.

"I've been in minor accidents before [but] not like this violent," the SUV driver,Mounish Katragadda, told the CBC.

The students weren'thurt, according to a spokesperson for the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board.

Katragaddasaidhe proceeded into the intersection at College and Wellington avenues as the light turned yellow, expecting that the bus would stop at the red light but it didn't. The dash-camvideo he also showed to policealso supports his story.

"[The school bus] hit my SUV straight up ... T-boned me and the car flew ... right at the utility pole, and then that's when we came to a stop," he said.

"Five years of me being in Windsor, I've never seen a school bus breaking any traffic laws."

Crumpled SUV by utility pole.
The SUV stopped when it hit a utility pole following the collision, says driver Mounish Katragadda. (Mounish Katragadda)

Katragadda saidhis vehicle is a write-off.

The Windsor Police Servicesaidthe bus driver was charged with running a red light. First Student, the school bus company that employs the driver, said it hasput the driver onleave.

"The driver involved has been placed on administrative leave as we conduct our own internal review of the incident," an emailed statement read. "Given this is an active investigation, we are unable to comment further."

Katragadda saidthe fire department arrived about two minutes after the collision and police came a short time later. He saidhe never had contact with the bus driver.

Wife's trip delayed

Katragadda said hewas travelling with his brother in the passenger seatand his wife was in the rear passenger seat when the collision occurred.

"That's where the bus hit," he said. "So she was the first one to take the impact."

Man wearing flintstones t-shirt stands in front of truck.
Katragadda stands beside the replacement vehicle he got from the dealership following the collision. He says his SUV is a write-off. (Jacob Barker/CBC)

He saidshe's shaken up and has had to miss work. At the time of the collision, they were en route to PearsonInternational Airport in Toronto so she could get a flightlater that evening.

On the night of the crash, Kataragadda said,they left the hospital before getting treated because there was a four-hour wait.

A school bus with minor damage.
A spokesperson for the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board confirmed a bus was involved in a collision on June 19. (Jacob Barker/CBC)

Katragaddasaidchanging her flight cost him about $500 and she has been missing work.

"Probably for my wife I should be filing a lawsuit against the bus company because it's something that's no fault of ours," he said.

"She would be inIndia doing her normal chores and she would be back to work."