AUBURN — A Hebron woman was charged with drunken driving after she drove into the back of an Auburn school bus on West Auburn Road on Thursday afternoon and then backed into a school van from Livermore Falls, police said.
Jessica Vennell, 27, slammed her Toyota SUV into the back of the Auburn bus while 60-year-old Jeffrey Gondeck of Turner was slowing it to make a left turn onto Boothby Street, police said.
Witnesses said it appeared Vennell had been trying to pass the bus when she struck the back of it, peeling back the hood of her vehicle.
When Vennell tried to back away from the bus, one witness said, she backed into a Dodge Caravan minivan stopped behind her.
The van, owned by RSU 73 in Livermore Falls, was driven by Ashley Bartsch-Smith, 34, of Jay, who was not hurt, police said.
None of the children on the bus were hurt, police said.
About 20 students were aboard the bus, school officials said. They remained on the bus while emergency crews were responding to the wreck.
A witness said that when Vennell climbed out of her Toyota, she had a visible bump on her forehead from hitting the windshield. She was taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston where she was treated.
Police later issued her a summons on a charge of driving while intoxicated.
Police, fire and rescue crews responded and a section of the road was shut down as victims were examined and an investigation got underway soon after the accidents at 3:30 p.m.
mlaflamme@sunjournal.com
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