Ham Lake parents are told school buses are safe

Kids are safe on school buses.

That's the message school and police officials gave to parents whose kids were injured in a Ham Lake school bus collision last week. The crash injured 18 students.

Highway Patrol officers told parents attending a forum at the McKinley Elementary school last night (thurs) that rigid safety measures were already in place prior to the accident. Those measures include inspections of buses and extensive screening of bus drivers.

But Edward Reynoso (ray-NO-so) says he and his wife want to hear greater discussion about putting seatbelts in school buses. Reynoso's son Adrian suffered a concussion, bruised kidney, and broken clavicle when his school bus careened into two cars and a light pole.

"The fact is my son flew seven rows and was injured severely," he said. "In this situation, we're asking that state legislators revisit this issue and look at the newer studies that show that lap-belts, in conjunction with shoulder belts, will cut down injuries dramatically."

Reynoso says he won't allow his son to ride the bus until there are safety belts in place. He says his younger son does ride a bus equipped with lap belts.

Police will not release any details of the investigation into the crash. They said they are examining the bus driver's assertion that the brakes failed.