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The footage looked like something from a movie: an articulated public bus suspended over a highway overpass in the Bronx, passengers trapped inside.
But the spooky scene that unfolded Thursday night was all too real after the driver lost control of the bus as it turned left onto a freeway slip road, officials said.
It is not known what prompted the bus to leave University Avenue shortly after 11 p.m., but data extracted from the vehicle by investigators indicates the driver may have made the turn too quickly, officials said.
The photos and video captured the heartbreaking consequences. The front end of the bus fell about 50 feet from the Cross Bronx Freeway, splitting the vehicle in half and leaving broken cables protruding from its accordion-like midsection.
Seven passengers were on board at the time, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said, far fewer than there would have been had the crash occurred earlier today.
The passengers and the driver were all injured, a firefighter spokesperson said. Several were taken to hospital and one person was in critical condition. Authorities have not identified the driver, who suffered cuts, bruises and a broken jaw.
The bus was eventually pulled back onto the street and the Transportation Authority, which oversees New York’s bus system, began its investigation. The bus had several cameras, a data logger and a GPS system on board.
GPS data showed the bus had taken the turn at 17 to 26 miles per hour, much faster than the 3-4 mph recommended by authorities, Patrick Warren, the agency’s head of safety and security, said at a press conference on Friday.
“While the investigation is ongoing, speed is clearly a factor,” Mr. Warren said.
The driver, 55, took a breath test at the crash scene, but refused a drug and alcohol test at a hospital later, Warren said.
“It’s obviously disturbing,” he added.
The bus, which was last inspected on Wednesday, does not appear to have any mechanical issues, officials said.
The driver had “over 11 years of good service at work and a good safety record,” said Craig Cipriano, president of MTA Bus, the division that operates the city’s buses.
The driver, who was commuting between the Bronx and Manhattan, was able to unbuckle his seat belt and help some passengers escape the bus.
Officials believe that the cables connecting the two sections of the bus prevented the front of the vehicle from crashing harder on the highway – which could have caused more serious injuries.
Christina Goldbaum contributed reporting.
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