Woman hit by Cedar Rapids school bus improving

The Cedar Rapids woman struck by a school bus when sunlight blinded the driver has seen medical improvement, police said.

Bonnie Nielsen, 84, suffered life-threatening injuries when a turning bus hit her Wednesday morning at the intersection of First Avenue East and 15th Street in Cedar Rapids, police said. Witnesses said she was struck while in the crosswalk, between the two eastbound lanes of First Avenue East.

Sgt. Cristy Hamblin said Nielsen remained at St. Luke's Hospital on Thursday. She had multiple broken bones.

"She was doing much better," Hamblin said. "The investigator said they didn't think she had any head injuries."

Information about Nielsen's official medical condition was not being released, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Bus driver Vicki Laird, 43, of Hiawatha, told police sunlight hindered her vision as she turned, and she did not see Nielsen. Laird was charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian in a a crosswalk.

Cedar Rapids Community School District spokeswoman Marcia Hughes said Laird has been placed on paid administrative leave, pending the outcome of a district investigation. Laird was on her way to her first stop of the day, and no students were on board.

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