NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — An MTA articulated bus careened off an overpass in the Bronx in New York City on Thursday night, injuring eight people and leaving the bus dangling over a roadway.
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The crash occurred around 11:10 p.m. on an overpass near University Avenue and the Cross Bronx Expressway, right off the Washington Bridge.
The driver missed a turn from University Avenue to the Washington Bridge and the bus careened through a guard rail, the front half falling 50 feet to the Cross Bronx Expressway ramp below, officials said.
Videos show the back half of the Bx35 bus on the overpass and the front half dangling over the ramp.
No other vehicles were involved in the crash.
Even though the bus driver was seriously hurt, he managed to evacuate everyone off the bus safely, officials said.
Seven passengers suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to hospitals.
Crews secured the bus with cables and successfully pulled it back up to the overpass after 6 a.m.
A preliminary report from the NYPD indicates the driver apparently failed to make a proper turn, crashed into the guardrail and careened off the road. Officials are also looking into the possibility the driver experienced brake failure, according to WCBS-TV.
In a statement, MTA Chief Safety and Security Officer Patrick Warren said, “The MTA’s goal is to have the safest transportation system in the nation, and when an incident like this occurs we take it very seriously. We are conducting a full investigation and will implement lessons learned in order to prevent it from happening again. We are certain this was a terrifying incident for those customers on the bus. Our hearts go out to them with hope that they can recover quickly.”
The Washington Bridge, which runs parallel to the Alexander Hamilton Bridge and connects the Bronx and Harlem, was shut down. The westbound Cross Bronx Expressway ramp to the Major Deegan Expressway and University Avenue from 174th Street to the Washington Bridge were also closed during the investigation.
There were also delays on the Cross Bronx Expressway.
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