A public transit bus traveling down Utica Avenue in Brooklyn, New York, collided with a speeding car on the afternoon of Wednesday, January 7, 2015, leaving at least two dozen people injured. The vehicle at fault for the accident, described as a black BMW, was reportedly speeding down Utica Avenue heading south when it smashed into a Nissan Maxima, causing the BMW to spin out of control before slamming headlong into the B46 New York City bus, which had been traveling north on Utica Avenue at the time of the crash.
Injuries resulting from the collision range from minor to life-threatening, with at least three people still in critical condition following the crash. The most severe injuries were reportedly sustained by people who were in the BMW and Nissan at the time of the incident. Witnesses who worked at nearby businesses in the area have consistently reported that the BMW was speeding at the time of the crash on a stretch of road whose speed limit had recently been slowed from 30 miles per hour to 25 miles per hour, in light of a slew of pedestrian-versus-vehicle deaths in the area.
Witnesses reported seeing people covered in blood deboarding the bus after the accident, and at least one witness is quoted as having stated that “the two cars were to blame.” The Nissan was allegedly pulling out of a grocery store parking lot onto Utica Avenue near the intersection with Clarendon Road when the BMW struck it in a T-bone fashion, leaving the Nissan severely damaged and the people inside it with critical wounds.
Nineteen of the 25 injuries reported thus far are described by first responders as having been minor. There is no word as to whether drugs or alcohol may have played a role in the crash. As the police investigation continues, officials have stated that the driver of the black BMW is expected to face charges following the incident.