A bus became trapped between two freeway support structures following a collision with a sport utility vehicle in Miami, Fla. On the afternoon of Saturday, Oct. 12, 2014, resulting in nine injuries. The Miami-Dade Transit Bus was allegedly traveling westbound on NW Sixth Street in the Overtown neighborhood of downtown Miami when it was struck by an SUV which was moving northward along Third Avenue. The crash took place right at the intersection of NW Sixth Street and Third Avenue.
The impact of the collision sent both vehicles skidding out of control, resulting in the SUV landing along the fence line of the Miami Police Department’s auto impound yard, and the commuter bus becoming wedged between two support structures beneath a bridge portion of the I-95. Both vehicles sustained major damage in the crash. The driver of the transit bus attempted to keep passengers calm and in order until paramedics arrived on the scene.
Nine people, including both drivers and a pregnant bus passenger, are reported to have sustained injuries as a result of the crash, and two victims were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital to be treated for possible head injury and spinal pain. Other injured parties were treated on scene by first responders who arrived shortly after the crash. None of the injuries are reported to have been life-threatening, and all other uninjured bus passengers were diverted to another bus in order to continue on their journeys.
The cause of the crash is not known at this time, and no fault has yet been established. The Miami Police Department is conducting an investigation in the hopes of uncovering the reason for the collision. At this time, it is unclear whether alcohol or other drugs played a role in the accident, and which vehicle had right-of-way at the time of the accident has yet to be determined.
According to statistic released by the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles, nearly 50,000 auto accidents occurred in Miami-Dade in 2005 alone, with the vast majority of those crashes resulting in some type of injury. However, fewer than 350 of these accidents resulted in loss of life.