RivCo School Bus Driver Suffers Medical Emergency, Crashes, Dies

COACHELLA, CA — A school bus driver was pronounced dead at a hospital Friday after an apparent medical emergency caused her to rear-end another school bus in the parking lot of Coachella Valley High School, authorities said.

The 42-year-old Coachella woman was rendered unconscious due to "an unknown medical emergency" while behind the wheel of her bus, which crashed into a parked bus at 6:28 a.m., according to California Highway Patrol Officer Jackie Quintero.

"Due to an unknown medical emergency, the female driver became unconscious and the front of the International school bus struck the rear of [another] school bus," Quintero said in a news release.

The woman, who was not immediately identified, was rushed to John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital "where she succumbed to her injuries," the CHP said.

At the time of the crash, there were 35 students aboard the bus, but none were hurt, according to Quintero. The 38-year-old driver of the other bus, which had no students aboard, was also unhurt.

It was unknown whether crash injuries or the unspecified medical issue caused the woman's death, according to the CHP.

— City News Service contributed to this report / Image via Shutterstock