A shuttle bus from the University of Southern California (USC) was involved in a collision with a Metro light rail train, resulting in at least 55 injuries, including two critical ones. Authorities in metro Los Angeles announced the incident on April 30th.
The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) said the collision occurred just before noon on Exposition Boulevard, near the Natural History Museum and the USC campus.
According to the agency, two victims were sent to the hospital with critical injuries, while sixteen others were transferred in good condition. At the site, a further 37 individuals were attended to.
According to Dave Sotero, a representative for the Los Angeles Metro, the bus allegedly ran into an E Line train. From East LA to Santa Monica’s downtown, the light rail route primarily follows streets, but not every crossing has gates.
A platform at the Metro station allowed a 19-year-old Santa Monica college student to view the scene. Genesis Hernandez said the front end of the bus had collapsed, but there wasn’t much damage to the train.
According to a local news video, the first train car crashed into the left side of the bus, with the bus’s front end suffering the most severe damage.
A statement from USC Transportation said that the single passenger and driver were heading west on Exposition Boulevard in a 40-seat Starcraft bus when the accident happened. Among those hurt, the bus driver and a passenger were listed as critical, according to the fire department.
According to authorities, the Metro train bound for Santa Monica carried over 150 people. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) will be overseeing the inquiry.
Metro expressed condolences to the victims of the disaster in an email.
During the first investigation, Exposition Boulevard was blocked in both directions. Due to the collision location, Metro said passengers would be transported using buses instead of trains.
