Update: Bus Hits Office Building Off Medical Parkway

More on the bus accident this morning . . .

A Capital Metro bus crashed into an office building earlier today after hitting an SUV; the SUV's driver didn't yield at a side street. The bus driver and one of the passengers were seriously injured on their Medical Parkway route, between 45th and 38th Street; four other passengers are in the hospital with minor injuries. A few more passengers and the driver of the SUV were treated on the scene. No one in the office building was injured.

Police said the bus collided with the gray SUV and then crashed through the wall at a building that houses the Communication Workers of America offices at 3901 Medical Parkway before coming to a rest against the building. Officials said the bus driver, Theresa Williams, a 28-year Cap Metro veteran, was pinned in her seat for a while because the bus was up against the building, trapping her leg.

Police say the driver of the SUV is at fault in the collision because it failed to yield the right-of-way from a side street to the bus. The SUV driver’s name has not been released by police.

[Statesman]

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By Elizabeth S. in News on May 1, 2007 12:05 PM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

Yvette

I live at that intersection and play Russian Roulette every time I pull off of my street. I'm not defending the SUV driver by any means, but if Austin would learn how a stop sign works things would be a little safer. There is a severe blind spot between 40th and 39 ½ that is only worsened by drivers that can't stop for 5 seconds at 40th and Medical.

While I'm on the subject... is it hard to understand that when you pull up to an intersection and see that someone is already there and stopped that you must then stop and let them go?! sheesh.

Lily...from Miami, Florida

I was waiting for the bus on 39 1/2 and saw the entire thing. It was quite scary. I am very glad nothing seriously happened to anyone. In comparison to the puiblic transportation system of Miami, my home city, Austin's is excellent. I do believe sometimes the drivers speed things up, a bit too much. I know very little of Austin, but I do know that street is taken frequently by drivers getting away from the traffic. From my perspective, Austin's traffic is Miami's fast-lane. Regardless, I am very happy to know things are okay for everyone involved, and hope this can serve as a lesson to those ready to run on a yield.

charlene

I see folks cut off buses all the time and as a daily user or public transportation it's really scary. I guess they don't realize how close they came to causing major calamities. Really people, what's the hurry? Would you do the same to an 18-wheeler?

Lily

Maybe its evidence that the lack of public transportation in different mediums besides buses allow for too many crazy drivers!

I work right next to that at Seton. It was a very crazy thing to see. The brick fence she plowed through was turned into rubble. I hope the bus driver is ok. She really did a good job of maneuvering the bus though; it was nudged in between a tree and the building with only about a foot of space on each side. Thank goodness the bus didn't hit either, things may have been worse.

Anon

Just more evidence that public transportation causes more problems than good.

Tim

They had to investigate to realize the SUV driver was at fault? I thought the reason you bought an SUV was to be at fault in a collision. Like you buy a sports car to go fast, you buy an SUV so you don't have to look where you're going.