SUV driver seriously injured in collision with school bus on Hwy. 20 at Cooley Road

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A 48-year-old Bend man was seriously injured Monday afternoon when his SUV veered into the turn lane of Highway 20 at Cooley Road and struck the front of a school bus, Oregon State Police said.

The bus driver, alone on the bus, also was taken to the hospital for evaluation, troopers said.

The Bend-La Pine School Bus was stopped facing west in the left-turn lane shortly before 2 p.m. as the 59-year-old driver waited to turn left onto Cooley Road, troopers said.

The driver of the Jeep Wrangler, heading east on the highway, veered into the turn lane and struck the school bus head-on, they said. The Jeep driver was taken to St. Charles Bend with serious but not life-threatening injuries and the bus driver also was taken there for evaluation, troopers said. Both men are Bend residents.

There were no children on the bus, OSP said.

The crash remains under investigation, OSP said. They were assisted at the scene by Bend police, Bend Fire and Rescue and ODOT.