Five Rapid City elementary school students received minor injuries Thursday when their school bus was rear-ended by a pickup truck.

But Lt. James Johns of the Rapid City Police Department said seat belts in the bus probably would not have prevented injuries in this case.

"We're talking about whiplash-type injuries, and seat belts probably wouldn't have impacted that," he said.

The accident happened just before 8 a.m. on Soo San Drive near West Middle School. Police said a northbound Rapid City School District bus carrying 14 students to Pinedale Elementary School was stopped behind cars on Soo San Drive that were waiting to turn left onto Hall Street. The bus was struck from behind by a 1997 Nissan pickup driven by Christine Ducheneaux, 24, Rapid City.

Ducheneaux was cited for careless driving, and her passenger, 18-year-old Lisa Ducheneaux, was cited for not wearing a seat belt. Both were taken to Rapid City Regional Hospital with minor injuries.

Johns said there was no indication that Ducheneaux was driving faster than the 25 mph speed limit.

The driver of the school bus, 49-year-old Corey Keller of Rapid City, was wearing a seat belt and was not injured. New government regulations will require some buses to have seat belts for students (see related story), but this bus did not have them.

Pinedale Elementary School Principal Rick Owen said another bus was sent to pick up the students and bring them to school, where a nurse evaluated them. A few had bumps and bruises, but most were fine.

"I think this came out about as good as it could, considering the circumstances," Owen said.

Ducheneaux's vehicle was totaled. "Those big buses, they don't give," Johns said. "Mass won."

The bus had only minor damage and was back out on the road Thursday afternoon after a mechanic checked it out, according to Dennis Berg, coordinator of maintenance, student transportation and warehouse services for the Rapid City School District.

"There's a little dent and stuff in the back end of the bumper, and it squashed up the exhaust tail pipe a little bit," Berg said. "In a school bus, you're going to find there's really very minimal damage that ever happens."

Berg said school bus accidents typically involve icy roads or drivers backing into mailboxes, but Thursday's accident was the second in 10 days involving a Rapid City school bus. On Oct. 7, a bus that was stopped at an intersection in Rapid Valley was broadsided by a woman who went through a yield sign. No one was injured.

"This has kind of been an unusual year for us," Berg said.

Contact Heidi Bell Gease at 394-8419 or heidi.bell@rapidcityjournal.com