Driver who hit school bus in West Kelowna may have been texting, police say

WEST KELOWNA – A local woman, who may have been texting, must wish she had been paying more attention after rear-ending a school bus.

RCMP spokesperson Const. Jesse O’Donaghey says in a press release there were no injuries to the 30 children or the driver on-board the bus after a GMC Jimmy hit the bus this morning, Sept. 21, around 8 a.m.

The Central Okanagan school district yellow bus was fully stopped at the intersection of Old Okanagan Highway and Reece Road with red lights flashing and its stop sign extended.

O’Donaghey says there was no damage to the bus but the red Jimmy had to be towed away from the scene. The children were later transported to school on another bus.

Students on the bus ranged in age from four- to 11-year-old, he added.

Police ask anyone who saw the accident who has not already spoken to an investigator to contact Const. Ginny Folster at 250-768-2880.


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John McDonald

John began life as a journalist through the Other Press, the independent student newspaper for Douglas College in New Westminster. The fluid nature of student journalism meant he was soon running the place, learning on the fly how to publish a newspaper.

It wasn’t until he moved to Kelowna he broke into the mainstream media, working for Okanagan Sunday, then the Kelowna Daily Courier and Okanagan Saturday doing news graphics and page layout. He carried on with the Kelowna Capital News, covering health and education while also working on special projects, including the design and launch of a mass market daily newspaper. After 12 years there, John rejoined the Kelowna Daily Courier as editor of the Westside Weekly, directing news coverage as the Westside became West Kelowna.

But digital media beckoned and John joined Kelowna.com as assistant editor and reporter, riding the start-up as it at first soared then went down in flames. Now John is turning dirt as city hall reporter for iNFOnews.ca where he brings his long experience to bear on the civic issues of the day.

If you have a story you think people should know about, email John at jmcdonald@infonews.ca