Inver Grove Heights bus crash victims: Grandma, 2 kids

The fiery head-on collision between a car and school bus in Inver Grove Heights on Friday killed a 70-year-old woman and two of her grandchildren.

The victims were identified by a co-worker and others Sunday as Elaine M. Clausen of Inver Grove Heights, as well as Laela Clausen, 11, and Gion Clausen, about 5.

Marvin Emeott, a co-worker of Clausen, spoke with grieving family members as they placed flowers and three small crosses at the accident scene over the weekend.

Police have not yet released the names and have said little about the crash near the intersection of Argenta Trail and 77th Street W., just south of Hwy. 55.

The collision was reported just before 4 p.m. Friday.

The driver of the District 196 bus, which had no passengers, was not injured, according to a news release issued by Inver Grove Heights police.

The accident occurred about 5 1/2 miles northwest of the 8700 block of Inver Grove Trail where Elaine Clausen lived with her family.

Emeott said that Friday was Elaine Clausen's day off from her job as a school bus monitor for Community Action Partnership of Ramsey and Washington Counties of St. Paul, where they worked together.

He said before she was a bus monitor, Clausen drove a Head Start bus for the program, which helps low-income residents of Ramsey and Washington counties.

The family told Emeott at the accident scene that Elaine Clausen and the children had gone to get a costume for a dance event that Laela Clausen was involved in when the accident occurred on a stretch of road near a sharp turn.