A bus collided with a van in eastern Indianapolis at the intersection of College Avenue and 10th Street early in the morning of Saturday, March 24, 2015, leaving 14 people injured. None of the injuries were reported as life-threatening, and all injured parties were taken to area hospitals to receive medical treatment, including Indiana University Methodist Hospital, Community Hospital East, and Eskenazi Health. The drivers of both vehicles are said to have sustained the most serious injuries, though both are expected to fully recover following treatment. Both individuals are aged 62. No details have been released about other victims of the crash at this time.
The van reportedly failed to stop for a red light while going southward on College Avenue, causing it to smash into the IndyGo bus which was traveling eastward on 10th Street at the time of the collision. This caused the bus to careen into both a light pole, which was struck down by the force of the crash, and then collided with a tree before coming to a stop. First responders arrived on the scene en masse, and one of those on scene explained that this overwhelming response by emergency personnel was due to the number of injuries reported, making the crash scene a “mass casualty” situation.
It is not yet known whether the van had any passengers within it at the time of the crash, though its make and model year have been identified as a 2006 Ford van. There were 20 passengers traveling on the bus at the time the incident took place. Local authorities with the Metropolitan Indianapolis Police Department are still investigating the crash, and there is no word yet as to whether charges will be filed as a result of the accident.
According to statistics released by the Indiana Traffic Safety Facts report, there were more than 188,000 traffic collisions in the state of Indiana resulting in damage to property or injury to persons in 2012, with more than 700 of these leading to fatality. These numbers are down a fraction of a percent from the reports from the previous calendar year.