A female bus driver is in critical condition following a single vehicle bus collision after a Bx12 bus hit an elevated subway structure in the West Farms section of The Bronx.

 

According to the NYC Department of Transportation’s (DOT) collision investigation squad, on Thursday, Aug. 4, at approximately 8.23 a.m., police responded to a 911 call of a motor vehicle collision involving an MTA Bus at the intersection of Boston Road and Bryant Avenue.

 

Upon arrival, officers from the 48th Precinct observed a 44-year-old woman, unconscious and unresponsive with head trauma. EMS responded and transported the woman to St. Barnabas Hospital in critical but stable condition.

 

A DOT spokesperson said a preliminary investigation by the NYPD Highway Collision Investigation Squad (CIS) determined that the female driver of a 2017 New Flyer MTA bus was traveling southbound on Boston Road when she suffered an apparent medical episode, and veered left into the northbound lane, striking a support column for the elevated train track.

 

Twelve passengers were on the bus and suffered minor injuries and were removed to local hospitals. FDNY/EMS later said the injuries incurred by the 12 passengers were non-life threatening.

 

Prior to the official CIS report being shared with the media, MTA officials including New York City Transit (NYCT) president, Richard Davey, NYCT chief operator officer, Craig Cipriano, MTA chief safety and security officer, Pat Warren, and NYCT senior vice president for buses, Frank Annicaro, attended the scene of the incident on Thursday morning for a news conference.

FDNY and EMS personnel who had treated victims at the scene were also present, along with TWU Local 100, who represent the injured bus driver.

 

Davey opened the press conference introducing those present and saying first and foremost that their hearts and prayers went out to the bus driver and the 12 passengers who were on the bus.

 

“The bus operator is in critical condition,” he said on the day. “The 12 customers who were removed, we’ll let fire discuss their situation, but it’s fair to say that this is a tough day for the transit family, which is why I think you see so many of us represented here today.”

Davey said all bus drivers go through a biannual medical physical and confirmed the driver in question had had hers six months ago, and was fit for duty. “All of our operators are met and checked on a daily basis for fit-for-duty as well, so they will see a yard supervisor or crew dispatcher, as an example, as she did this morning,” he added.

 

He added, “We’ll obviously do and have begun already an investigation as to what occurred and why this happened. But right now, I think our attention is focused not only [on the] investigation, but [on] the health and wellbeing of the 13 folks that were on this bus.”

 

For collision investigation squad incidents, the NYPD handles all criminal investigations, while DOT reviews the street design at the locations of such crashes.