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Bus Driver Placed On Paid Leave After Wreck

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RALEIGH, N.C. — The driver of a school bus involved in a wreck on Monday has been placed on paid leave by the Wake School transportation office pending the outcome of an investigation into Monday's incident.

Raleigh police, who ticketed driver Phyllis Broush for running a red light, have started an independent investigation.

Witnesses said Broush's bus was hit by a tractor-trailer Monday afternoon near the intersection of Wade Avenue and Canterbury Road after Broush ran the light.

The wreck caused a massive traffic back-up on westbound Wade Avenue and sent eight students to the hospital. By late Monday night, all of the injured children had been treated for minor injuries and released.

A total of 12 students , ranging in ages from 14 to 17, were on the bus and enrolled in after-school programs.

Although police ticketed Broush, her version of the accident differed from theirs.

"The light was green when I was hit," she said. "The kids on the bus even said the light was green, the ones who were up front."

Broush said she's been behind the wheel for 18 years, and her only other accident was brushing against a telephone pole last year.

"I know in my heart that light was green," she said.

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