3 Kids Hurt In Bus Accident

A school bus ran off the road Tuesday, injuring three children slightly, and the driver appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, a State Patrol officer said.

Patrol Lt. J. Goulet said the bus was taking about 14 children to Cathcart Elementary School when it rounded a curve to the left near Echo Falls Country Club and went off the road and into the ditch on the right, hitting two or three small trees before the driver got it back onto the road and stopped.

Three children were taken to a local hospital for observation and treatment of bumps and bruises, said Rick Eastman, chief of Snohomish County Fire District 7.

The driver, Robert L. Humphries, 45, of Snohomish, registered .05 on a breath-alcohol test more than two hours after the accident, one point over the legal limit for commercial vehicle drivers, Goulet said.

“All indications are that there was alcohol involved, and he could be charged with driving under the influence,” the patrol officer said.

Humphries was questioned and released pending a review by the county prosecutor’s office.

Humphries was not immediately reachable for comment.