John Horton was transporting 21 elementary students on his school bus one recent morning when a car ran a red light and plowed into the left front wheel of the bus.

Horton said that the car — driven by a woman with her 3-year-old granddaughter on board — was traveling at least 55 mph, and there were no skid marks. The car was totaled.

Fortunately, no one was badly hurt in the crash, which happened near Parker, Colo., on Feb. 20. One adult and two children were transported from the scene with minor injuries, according to the Franktown Fire Protection District.

After the accident, Horton noted some interesting reactions from his young passengers.

For example, when Horton was going through the bus to record where each student was sitting, a second-grader asked, “Were we in a crash?”

“Yes,” Horton responded.

“Why was there no explosion?”

Horton mused later that apparently in the boy’s imagination — perhaps informed by TV, movies and videos games — all collisions include an explosion.

The next morning, as Horton and his passengers were approaching the intersection where the accident occurred, some of the kids were apprehensive.

Then, as the bus cleared the intersection and proceeded as usual along the route, a young boy exclaimed, “We made it!”