UPDATE: Names released in Frankfort school bus collision

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) – The Franklin Co. Sheriff has released the names of the persons involved in a collision between a Toyota Camry and a school bus on US 127 South on Thursday.

According to the Sheriff, the Camry, driven by 79-year-old Pedro Rivera with 78-year-old Ann Rivera in the passenger seat, was turning onto US 127 South when it was hit by the school bus.  Ann Rivera was taken to the Frankfort Regional Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries, while her husband, Pedro, was airlifted to UK Hospital with critical injuries.

The Sheriff says the driver of the school bus, 59-year-old Stephen Hurt of Jackson, was carrying third and fourth graders on a field trip.  Neither he not the children suffered injuries.  The children were taken to Capital City Christian Church until arrangements could be made to get them home.

US 127 South at Century Plaza was shut down for about four hours while the scene was investigated, says the Sheriff, who further states that environmental factors may have played a part in the accident.

ABC 36 will update this story as additional details become available.

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6/16 7:24 p.m.

Authorities got the crash call at 2:14 across from Century Plaza in Frankfort.

Sheriff Pat Melton says a black sedan was making a turn out of nearby Green Plaza heading towards the northbound lanes of US Route 127 when he was t-boned by a Breathitt county County School Bus.

Emergency services used jaws of life to free the driver of the car. The car was pretty beat up and spun into the ditch near green plaza. The driver of the black sedan was airlifted to UK’s Trauma Center with life threatening injuries, and is in critical condition. The passenger of that car has serious injuries and was taken to Franklin Regional Medical Center. The driver of the bus was okay, a bus monitor on board had scrapes and bruises.

At the time there were about 50 kids around ages 10-12 on board who are all doing fine. Some also treated for bumps and bruises on scene. Sheriff Melton says his priority was to get the kids out of the heat, so a Franklin County School Bus was brought in to transport the kids to Capital City Christian Church.

The crash reconstruction team is now done investigating, and all north and southbound lanes are open.