TOWN OF MADISON, Wis. -- At least three people suffered minor injuries after a school bus carrying children was rear-ended by a Dane County Highway Department vehicle on Tuesday morning, according to Town of Madison police.

The crash, which happened after 8:30 a.m. on the westbound lanes of the Beltine near Rimrock Road, started a chain reaction, police said. The bus was pushed into another bus in front of it. That bus then hit a passenger vehicle. Then, another car hit the Dane County vehicle.

Police said that the injuries came from the first school bus that was rear-ended. The students on the bus were from Immaculate Heart of Mary in Monona and were going to a field trip at Edgewood High School

Town of Madison Police Chief David Gregory complimented the driver of the county vehicle, whom he said attempted to mitigate the impact. The driver said when he knew he was going to hit the school bus, he positioned his vehicle's snowplow attachment toward in the middle of the bus so it hit an area where children weren't sitting, the police chief said.

Gregory said police haven't made a decision yet on citations in the connection with the crash.

The Beltline was finally cleared at about 10:30 a.m.

Stay tuned to WISC-TV and Channel 3000 for continuing coverage.